What is the Definition of Software Quality?

Software quality is an abstract concept. Its presence can be difficult to define, but its absence can be seen instantly. Thus, in the quest for improving software quality, we must first understand the software quality definition. Wikipedia describes software quality as follows:

“In the context of software engineering, software quality measures how well the software is designed (quality of design), and how well the software conforms to that design (quality of conformance). It is often described as the ‘fitness for purpose’ of a piece of software.”

There are many variations to the meaning of quality software depending on the viewpoint (developer, end-user, management…), but if you examine the description above, “fitness for purpose” questions whether or not the software fulfills its purpose, or in layman’s terms, “Does it do what it’s supposed to do?” Those are the characteristics that we see as end-users. Quality of design and quality of conformance to that design are related to internal aspects of the software, some of which we may see, like the user interface’s navigation, placement of controls, and so on. Others, we would not normally see, like code architecture, code quality, and code security. That’s why when we work with clients on improving their software quality, we begin with digging deeper into the meaning of software quality in their context and objectives. It’s the foundation of all consulting engagements.

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