The virtues of assessing software reliability early

Software reliability is one of the few software quality attributes with a sound mathematical definition: the probability of a software failure´s occurrence within a given period and under specific use conditions. By this definition, reliability is a strictly operational quality attribute. A reliability prediction method that integrates quality information from such sources as architectural system descriptions, use scenarios, system deployment diagrams, and module testing lets managers identify problem areas early and make any necessary organizational adjustments.