Ethical Decisions In Software Development - Key Terms Flashcards
When an organization decides to accept a risk because the cost of avoiding the risk outweighs the potential loss of the risk. A decision to accept a risk can be extremely difficult and controversial when dealing with safety-critical systems because making that determination involves forming personal judgments about the value of human life, assessing potential liability in case of an accident, evaluating the potential impact on the surrounding natural environment, and estimating the system’s costs and benefits.
Acceptance
A software development methodology in which a system is developed in iterations lasting from one to four weeks. Unlike the waterfall system development model, this development accepts the fact that system requirements are evolving and cannot be fully understood or defined at the start of the project.
Agile development
The estimated loss from a potential risk event over the course of a year. The following equation is used to calculate the annual loss expectancy: A× SLE = ALE. Where ARO is the annualized rate of occurrence, an estimate of the probability that this event will occur over the course of a year and SLE is the single loss expectancy, the estimated loss that would be incurred if the event happens.
Annualized loss expectancy (ALE)
An estimate of the probability that a risk event will occur over the course of a year.
Annualized rate of occurrence (ARO)
The elimination of a vulnerability that gives rise to a particular risk in order to avoid the risk altogether. This is the most effective solution but often not possible due to organizational requirements and factors beyond an organization’s control.
Avoidance
A method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means and that is used as a benchmark within a particular industry.
Best practice
A type of dynamic testing that involves viewing the software unit as a device that has expected input and output behaviors but whose internal workings are unknown.
Black-box testing
Collection of best practices that help organizations improve their processes.
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) models
A specific application of CMMI frequently used to assess and improve software development practices.
CMMI-Development (CMMI-DEV)
Products created during various stages of the development process, including statements of requirements, flowcharts, and user documentation.
Deliverable
A type of business information system used to improve decision making in a variety of industries.
Decision support system (DDS)
A QA process that tests the code for a completed unit of software by actually entering test data and comparing the results to the expected results.
Dynamic testing
A description of how a product or process could fail to perform the desired functions described by the customer.
Failure mode
An important technique used to develop ISO 9000-compliant quality systems by both evaluating reliability and determining the effects of system and equipment failures.
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
A logging and monitoring system used by safety engineers to track hazards from a project’s start to its finish.
Hazard log
Systems that are easy to learn and use because they perform quickly and efficiently; they meet their users’ needs; and they operate safely and reliably so that system downtime is kept to a minimum.
Highly-quality software system
Software testing done after successful unit testing, where the software units are combined into an integrated subsystem that undergoes rigorous testing to ensure that the linkages among the various subsystems work successfully.
Integration testing
A set of standards written to serve as a guide to quality products, services, and management. It provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system.
ISO 9001 family of standards
The reduction in either the likelihood or the impact of the occurrence of a risk.
Mitigation
An approach to minimizing the impact of software errors by independently implementing the same set of user requirements N times (where N could be 2, 3, 4 or more); the software are run in parallel; and, if a difference is found, a “voting algorithm” is executed to determine which result to use.
N-version programming
The liability of manufacturers, sellers, lessors, and others for injuries caused by defective products.
Product liability
Methods within the development process that are designed to guarantee reliable operation of a product.
Quality assurance (QA)
The provision of multiple interchangeable components to perform a single function in order to cope with failures and errors.
Redundancy
A standard, proven work process that enables systems analysts, programmers, project managers, and others to make controlled and orderly progress in developing high-quality software.
Software development methodology
A software-testing technique in which software is tested without actually executing the code. It consists of two steps—review and static analysis.
Static testing
Someone who has explicit responsibility for ensuring that a system will operate in a safe and reliable manner while meeting its users’ needs.
System safety engineer
Software testing done after successful integration testing, where the various subsystems are combined to test the entire system as a complete entity.
System testing
A risk management strategy in which the risk, should it happen, does not rest solely on one individual or organization. For example, a common way to accomplish risk transference is for an individual or an organization to purchase insurance, such as auto or business liability insurance. Another way to transfer risk is to outsource the risk by contracting with a third party to manage the risk.
Transference
A software-testing technique that involves testing individual components of code (subroutines, modules, and programs) to verify that each unit performs as intended.
Unit testing
Software testing done independently by trained end users to ensure the system operates as expected.
User acceptance testing
A software development methodology that involves a sequential, multistage system development process in which development of the next stage of the system cannot begin until the results of the current stage are approved or modified as necessary.
Waterfall system development model
A type of dynamic testing that treats the software unit as a device that has expected input and output behaviors but whose internal workings, unlike the unit in black-box testing, are known.
White-box testing
