A structure-based software reliability allocation using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

Abstract

During the design phase of a software, it is often required to evaluate the reliability of the software system. At this stage of development, one crucial question arises ‘how to achieve a target reliability of the software?’ Reliability allocation methods can be used to set reliability goals for individual components. In this paper, a software reliability allocation model has been proposed incorporating the user view point about various functions of a software. Proposed reliability allocation method attempts to answer the question ‘how reliable should the system components be?' The proposed model will be useful for determining the reliability goal at the planning and design phase of a software project, hence making reliability a singular measure for performance evaluation. Proposed model requires a systematic formulation of user requirements and preference into the technical design and reliability of the software. To accomplish this task, a system hierarchy has been established, which combines the user’s view of the system with that of the software manager and the programmer. Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) has been used to derive the required model parameters from the hierarchy. Sensitivity analysis has also been carried out in this paper. Finally, an example has been given to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.