ISO/IEC 25040 provides a process description for evaluating quality of software product and states the requirements for the application of this process. The evaluation process is composed of five activities.
ISO/IEC 25040
Activity 1: Define the evaluation
The first step in the evaluation process is to define the scope by establishing the purpose, evaluation criteria, target entities, and other relevant factors.
Task 1.1: Establish the purpose
The goal of this task is to define the purpose of the quality evaluation (evaluate suitability to a specific context of use, evaluate qualitfication to a quality standard, check requirements satisfaction, evaluate for suitability to the market, etc.).
Task 1.2: Identify target entities
The goal of this task is to identify all target entities needed for the evaluation.
Task 1.3:Define quality evaluation criteria
The quality evaluation criteria shall be defined or identified. Quality evaluation criteria are a set of specific quality requirements used to evaluate the quality of the target entities, and can include factors such as functional suitability, reliability, performance efficiency, compatibility, interaction capability, maintainability, flexibility, security, safety, or their subcharacteristics.
Task 1.4: Define requirements for the rigor of evaluation
The rigor (thoroughness, precision, and strictness) of the evaluation shall be defined in order to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and validity of the results.
Activity 2: Design the evaluation
In this activity the evaluation is designed, including its target entities and their components that need to undergo individual evaluation, methods to be applied for quality measurement, rating, and analysis, and its output.
Task 2.1: Identify components to be evaluated
In this task the evaluator shall identify the entities and components that need to undergo individual evaluation.
Task 2.2: Select and implement quality rating modules
Quality rating modules are selected and implemented, taking into account quality characteristics (and subcharacteristics), information needs for each of them, and applciable quality measures.
Task 2.3: Determine quality analysis methods
The quality analysis method for generating the output of the quality evaluation shall be determined.
Task 2.4: Define outputs
The outputs for the quality evaluation shall be defined, considering the purpose of the quality evaluation (pass/fail, evaluation score, strengths and weaknesses, recommendations...).