Software Excellence Augmentation through Defect Analysis and Avoidance

Abstract

The key challenge for any software organization is to develop a software product with less post deployment defects. Moreover if the defects reach till the deployment face then the project will be at a higher risk in terms of its cost and time aspects. A small amount of initial effort on software quality will definitely save a good amount of cost and time compare to defect recognition and removal strategy. This paper will focus on finding the total number of defects that has occurred in the SDLC (software development life cycle) for five similar type of projects done by final year graduating students in Haramaya University. The technology used in all the five projects is also same. Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC) is the most prevailing technique for identifying defects wherein defects are grouped into types rather than measured independently. This technique highlights those areas in SDLC that require attention. The paper will also focus on finding root causes of the defects and use the learning of the projects as preventive ideas. In the remaining part of the paper, the preventive ideas are used in a new set of projects developed by the graduating students in next phase resulting in the reduction of the number of similar defects.