QualityAttributeScenarios..doc

Quality Attribute Scenarios The six Quality Attributes we will discuss follow: 1. Availability is concerned with system failure and duration of system failures. System failure means … when the system does not provide the service for which it was intended. 2. Modifiability is about the cost of change, both in time and money. 3. Performance is about time. Events occur and the system must respond in a timely fashion. 4. Security is the ability of the system to prevent or resist unauthorized access while providing access to legitimate users. An attack is an attempt to breach security. 5. Testability refers to the ease with which the software can be made to demonstrate its faults or lack thereof. To be testable the system must control inputs and be able to observe outputs. 6. Usability is how easy it is for the user to accomplish tasks and what support the system provides for the user to accomplish this. Dimensions: Learning system features Using the system efficiently Minimizing the impact of errors Adapting the system to the user’s needs Increasing confidence and satisfaction A Quality Attribute Scenario is a quality-attribute-specific requirement. There are 6 parts: Source of stimulus (e.g., human, computer system, etc.) Stimulus – a condition that needs to be considered Environment - what are the conditions when the stimulus occurs? Artifact – what elements of the system are stimulated. Response – the activity undertaken after arrival of the stimulus Response measure – when the response occurs it should be measurable so that the requirement can be tested. Table 1 – Availability General Scenario. Scenario Portion Possible Values Source Internal to system or external to system Stimulus Crash, omission, timing, no response, incorrect response Artifact System’s processors, communication channels, persistent storage Environment Normal operation; degraded (failsafe) mode Response Log the failure, notify users/operators, disable sour