BUILDING A QUALITY MODEL

 

1. QUALITY ENTITY DESCOMPOSITION

1.1 Decomposing Characteristics into Subcharacteristics

1.2 Adding Subcharacteristics

1.3 Promoting Subcharacteristics

1.4 Decomposing Subcharacteristics

1.5 Decomposing Subcharacteristics into Attributes

1.6 Adding Attributes

1.7 Attributes that decompose more than one Quality Entity

1.8 Copy and Paste (Duplicate/Overlapping) functionalities      New

2. QUALITY ENTITY RELATIONSHIPS DEFINITION

2.1 Adding Relationships among Quality Entities

2.2 Viewing Relationships among Quality Entities

2.3 Adding Relation Scales

3. QUALITY PATTERNS DEFINITION

3.1 Exporting Quality Patterns

3.2 Importing Quality Patterns

4. REQUIREMENT PATTERNS DEFINITION

4.1 Adding Requirement Patterns

4.2 Viewing Requirement Patterns

5. RELATION SCALES MANAGER

6. REQUIREMENT PATTERNS MANAGER

7. QUALITY MODELS COMPOSITION

8. ACCESSING QUALITY MODEL HISTORY

 

 

 

1. QUALITY ENTITY DESCOMPOSITION

                1.1 Decomposing Characteristics into Subcharacteristics

It is possible to decompose the first level of Characteristics on some other Subcharacteristics.  In the Mail Servers Quality Model the Subcharacteristic Suitability has been split in two, so it is possible to delete the Characteristic Suitability and add : Mail Server Suitability and Additional Suitability.

1.2 Adding subcharacteristics

The form for adding a subcharacteristic is the folowing:

A Subcharacteristic Generic may not be further decomposed.

It is not possible to change the state of Subcharacteristics already decomposed.

For allowing a better ergonomic interaction in defining the Quality Model it is possible to access directly to:

·      Previous Sibling - Subcharacteristic in a previous order from that one.

·      Next Sibling - Next subcharacteristic, in case there is none, a new form will be showed.

·      Parent - Characteristic decomposed by this subcharacteristic

·      Decompose - Decomposes the subcharacteristic, asking if they must be decomposed into subcharacteristics or attributes:

1.3 Promoting Subcharacteristics

It is possible to promote subcharacteristics to an upper level composed of subcharacteristics or to the level of characteristics. In the following screen captures, the Adaptability subcharacteristic is beeing promoted to characteristic.

     

1.4 Decomposing Subcharacteristics

It is possible to decompose subcharacteristics into subcharacteristics or into attributes. In the following screen captures, the subcharacteristic Mail Server Suitability is beeing decomposed.

          

1.5 Decomposing Subcharacteristics into Attributes

When a subcharacteristic is decomposed into attributes, it is not possible to decompose it anymore into subcharacteristics, unless all the attributes are removed. In the following screed captures, you can see that it is not possible to choose the "Add subcharacteristic" option for the Mail Server Suitability subcharacteristic already decomposed into attributes.

1.6 Adding Attributes

There exist two kinds of attributes: derived and basic. Derived attributes can be decomposed into basic ones, but basic attributes can not be further decomposed. In the following screen capture appears the form for adding a basic attribute.

1.7 Attributes that decompose more than one Quality Entity

Sometimes an attribute can decompose more than one subcharacteristic or derived attribute. To achieve this kind of decomposition it is necessary to copy the attribute decomposing the first quality entity and to paste it to the second quality entity that it decomposes.

1.8 Copy and Paste (Duplicate / Overlapping) functionalities

Copy:

Paste:

 

Copy and Paste-duplicate. The way of use copy and paste-duplicate is the usual in any windows application. If you choose the copy option on one quality entity A of the quality model, and you paste-duplicate this entity on another quality entity B, a copy of the quality entity A (and of all its successors) will appear decomposing the quality entity B. It is important to note that the copy of the quality entity A (and the copy of its successors) has nothing to do with quality entity A after the paste has been done. Thus, changes in the quality entity A will not affect the copy of this entity, and vice versa.

Copy and Paste-overlapping. If you choose the copy option on one quality entity A of the quality model, that currently is decomposing a quality entity C, and you paste-overlapping the quality entity A on another quality entity B, the quality entity A (and of all its successors) will appear decomposing the quality entity C and also the quality entity B. Thus, changes in the definition of the quality entity A will affect this quality entity in any of the two decompositions.

It is possible to assign different metrics to quality entity A depending on the quality entity that it is decomposing (there is however a limitation that is that any of the two metrics have to be of the same type, thus if one is integer, the other one too).

 

  2. QUALITY ENTITY RELATIONSHIPS DEFINITION

                2.1 Adding Relationships among Quality Entities 

There are necessary the following steps:

1.    Select the quality entity for which you want to define a the relationship, and choose the option "Add Relation..."

2.    A window appears to select the other quality entity of the relationship.  One of the buttons "Choose" allows to select this quality entity, and the other one allows to select the relation scale (Relation Kind).

3.    In the tab "Relation Degree" it is possible to define that a relationship is a refinement of another relationship and the degree.

       2.2 Viewing Relationships among Quality Entities 

The relationships in which a quality entity participates can be seen by selecting the quality entity and choosing the "View Relations..." option. The relationships are shown in a list, and it is possible to add new ones or to delete some of the existent ones.

                2.3 Adding Relation Scales 

In the second figure of the last section, when the relation scale is choosen, it is possible to just select one of the existent relation scales or to define a new one. In the following window, if an existent relation scale is selected it is necessary to press the button "OK". If a new relation scale wants to be defined it is necessary to press the button "New". The "Edit" button allows modifying the definition of an existent relation scale.

  

In the definition of a relation scale it is necessary to enter the name and description of the relation scale in the Information tab.

In the Relation Scale tab, the different degrees that a relationship among entities of this type may have, must be defined. The relation scale must have, at least one element.

 

  3. QUALITY PATTERNS DEFINITION

3.1 Exporting Quality Patterns

Selecting a quality entity, it is possible to export it as a quality pattern for reusing it latter in the same quality model or in another one.

Select the "Export as Pattern" option on a quality entity. The form that appears allows to add information about the pattern (a name and a description). All users may access to the quality patterns, aside who has defined them.

 

         3.2 Importing Quality Patterns

There are necessary the following steps:

1.    Look up the quality pattern to be imported in the Quality Patterns Catalogue. Just press the following icon:

2.     It is possible to reduce the number of patterns that appear in the catalogue by selecting the patterns defined by a user (User Patterns) or the patterns related with a quality entity (Entity to Find).

 

3.    Select one of the patterns, "copy" the quality entity that wants to be reused, and paste it in the place of the quality model where it wants to be inserted.

  4. REQUIREMENT PATTERNS DEFINITION

                4.1 Adding Requirement Patterns

There are necessary the following steps:

1.    Select the "Add Requirement" option on a quality entity. The form that appears allows to choose between the following options select an existent requirement pattern, add a new requirement pattern and edit an existent requirement pattern. 

      

2.    Select an existent requirement pattern

3.    Create a requirement pattern. The form for editing a new requirement pattern is the following. It allows to enter information (name and explanation), documentation (sources) and the requirements that compose it (see below).

4.    Edit information specific of the new requirement. The form for editing a new requirement pattern is the following. It allows to associate metrics to the requirement and to enter documentation.

                4.2 Viewing Requirement Patterns

When the option "View Requirements..." on a quality entity is selected, all the requirements patterns associated to the entity are shown in a list. Then, it is possible to edit any of them modifying its definition, to add a new requirement patterns for the quality entity, or to delete one of the existent in the list.

 

  5. RELATION SCALES MANAGER

The relation scales manager allows to look up in a repository of relation scales used in the context of a quality model.

To use this manager is necessary to choose the option "Relation Scale Manager" pressing the right button of the mouse on the root of the Quality Model.

The manager allows to see the relation scales in the context of the quality model, and also add a new relation scale, edit an existent relation scale modifying it and delete relation scales.

 

  6. REQUIREMENT PATTERNS MANAGER

The requirement patterns manager allows to look up in a repository of requirement patterns used in the context of a quality model.

To use this manager is necessary to choose the option "Requirement Pattern Manager" pressing the right button of the mouse on the root of the Quality Model.

The manager allows to see the requirement patterns in the context of the quality model, and also add a new requirement pattern, edit an existent requirement pattern modifying it and delete requirement patterns.

  7. QUALITY MODEL COMPOSITION

This functionality is not implemented in version 2.0 of DesCOTS-QM.

  8. ACCESSING THE QUALITY MODEL HISTORY

This functionality is not implemented in version 2.0 of DesCOTS-QM.