A ranking of software engineering measures based on expert opinion

This research proposes a framework based on expert opinion elicitation, developed to select the software engineering measures which are the best software reliability indicators. The current research is based on the top 30 measures identified in an earlier study conducted by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. A set of ranking criteria and their levels were identified. The score of each measure for each ranking criterion was elicited through expert opinion and then aggregated into a single score using multiattribute utility theory. The basic aggregation scheme selected was a linear additive scheme. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis was carried out. The sensitivity analysis included: variation of the ranking criteria levels, variation of the weights, variation of the aggregation schemes. The top-ranked measures were identified. Use of these measures in each software development phase can lead to a more reliable quantitative prediction of software reliability.