Facts about Software Engineering

Following are some facts that can help you gain a better insight into the realities of Software Engineering.

1.      The best programmers are up to 28 times better than the worst programmers.

2.      New tools/techniques cause an initial LOSS of productivity/quality.

3.      The answer to a feasibility study is almost always “yes”.

4.      A May 2002 report prepared for the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST)(1) estimates the annual cost of software defects in the United States as $59.5 billion.

5.      Reusable components are three times as hard to build

6.      For every 25% increase in problem complexity, there is a 100% increase in solution  complexity.

7.      80% of software work is intellectual. A fair amount of it is creative. Little of it is clerical.

8.      Requirements errors are the most expensive to fix during production.

9.      Missing requirements are the hardest requirement errors to correct.

10.  Error-removal is the most time-consuming phase of the life cycle.

11.  Software is usually tested at best at the 55-60% (branch) coverage level.

12.  100% coverage is still far from enough.

13.  Rigorous inspections can remove up to 90% of errors before the first test case is run.

14.  Maintenance typically consumes 40-80% of software costs. It is probably the most important life cycle phase of software.

15.  Enhancements represent roughly 60% of maintenance costs.

16.  There is no single best approach to software error removal