A systematic and comprehensive tool for software reliability modeling and measurement

Sufficient work has been done to demonstrate that software reliability models can be used to monitor reliability growth over a useful range of software development projects. However, due to the lack of appropriate tools, the application of software reliability models as a means for project management is not as widespread as it might be. The existing software reliability modeling and measurement programs are either difficult for a nonspecialist to use, or short of a systematic and comprehensive capability in the software reliability measurement practice. To address the ease-of-use and the capability issues, the authors have prototyped a software reliability modeling tool called CASRE, a Computer-Aided Software Reliability Estimation tool. Implemented with a systematic and comprehensive procedure as its framework, CASRE will encourage more widespread use of software reliability modeling and measurement as a routine practice for software project management. The authors explore the CASRE tool to demonstrate its functionality and capability.