On the nature of bias and defects in the software specification process

Abstract

Implementation bias in a specification is an arbitrary constraint in the solution space. The authors describe the problem of bias and then present a model of the specification and design processes describing individual subprocesses in terms of precision/detail programs, and a model of bias in multi-attribute software specifications. While studying how bias is introduced into a specification it was realized that software defects and bias are dual problems of a single phenomenon. This has been used to explain the large proportion of faults found during the coding phase at the Software Engineering Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.<>