Functional Suitability Assessment: A Preliminary Study on Perceptions and Trends Observed in Software Industry

Resumo

The demand for software that is executed in different contexts and by different users brings to light the importance of evaluating the quality attribute “functional suitability”, since this software attribute deals with the completeness of functionalities and the correctness of their executions, always appropriate to specific contexts. Despite recommendations on the subject, ISO SQuaRE 25000 recommends what needs to be evaluated when functional suitability is observed. The abstraction inherent in this process may present itself as an obstacle in adhering to these standards. Therefore, this paper presents the results of an opinion survey conducted through interviews with software companies in order to understand the perceptions and trends regarding the evaluation of functional suitability in the software industry. The results, although initial and not generalizable, supported the discussions on the quality assessment process, as well as the tools and metrics adopted, in addition to the stakeholders involved. It was observed in a preliminary way that the concept of this attribute is sometimes unknown, and sometimes ignored, given the complexity and the cost of performing tests to measure it. Completeness and correctness are the most analyzed characteristics, to the detriment of the functional appropriateness, which is measured indirectly through the acceptance of the delivered functionalities.