Software reliability assessment based on a formal requirements specification

Assessment of reliability using characteristics of software development process phases is one of the discussions which has been attracting more and more attentions during the recent three decades. Most of the techniques and models use the result of design, implementation and test phases; there are only a few models that are employed at the early phase of software development. Assessment of software reliability in the early phases of software development process, however, is very important for better prognosis and management of risks. In this paper we propose an approach for early software reliability assessment, based on software behavioral requirements. The major difference between our approach and those of others is the fact that we use a formal method, called Viewcharts, to specify the behavior of software systems.