Trade-offs and Conflicts Between Quality Attributes

Abstract: It is next to impossible to let a day go by without coming into contact with a computer system in some way, either by direct usage, or making a telephone call that is directed by computer systems. Due to the importance of computer systems we are all concerned with their quality, directly or indirectly, a malfunctioning system will disturb our lives in more or less drastic ways. Each stakeholder promotes his qualities and priorities for the system, and this will eventually lead to conflict, depending on relations between qualities. There is no simple solution to the problem of relating and conflicting quality attributes. But by making an informed decision it is possible to soften the effects of the trade-offs and gain a higher level of total software quality. The way to make an informed decision is to have knowledge about the relations between quality attributes along with insights of the consequences of the decision. This report gives a short introduction to the problem, and surveys both the relations stated within academia, and industry. The intention is to explore the knowledge present within academia and collect and present the established relations found by researchers. Further this report presents a survey carried out at companies working in different areas with software engineering, to show which relations that are visible to industry and how they are handling the relations between quality attributes. This gathered knowledge intends to support the ambition towards higher quality in software engineering.