Software architecture review for telecommunications software improvement

Software architecture reviews (SARs) have been established to help assure that a Bellcore client company (BCC) receives network elements and network switching systems of sufficiently high quality to meet its needs. The motivation for the SAR is discussed along with its methodology, checklists, application and expected benefits. The SAR is designed to assess three aspects of software reliability and quality. The impact of implementing new requirements in existing software architectures is assessed. The robustness of software to faults that occur in the field is described, and the fault prevention methods used before product deployment to reduce the number of software faults are characterized