Software Reliability and Risk Management

Software development process, by in large, is an ad hoc process. It suffers chronically from cost overruns, schedule delays, unmet customer needs, and buggy systems. The main reason is that software engineering, unlike traditional forms of engineering, is based on mathematics and logic as compared to physical laws. The source of the structure for software engineering is experts- defined standards and policies, which might be violated when developers find convenient. Hence the uncertainties that can be introduced by software engineers into a software system are greater than any other field. Risk management in software development, therefore, is a very challenging task. Yet better risk management clearly raised the hope for better structured and more systematic ways for software developments.