Qualitätseigenschaft

Qualitätseigenschaft is a German term that translates to "quality attribute" or "quality characteristic" in English. It refers to a specific, measurable aspect of a product, system, or service that contributes to its overall quality. These properties are not directly related to the functional requirements but rather to how well those functions are performed or how the product behaves in its environment.

Common examples of Qualitätseigenschaften include performance, reliability, usability, security, maintainability, and portability. Performance, for instance, might be measured by response time or throughput. Reliability could be assessed by metrics like mean time between failures. Usability focuses on how easy a system is to learn and operate. Security relates to the protection against unauthorized access or data breaches. Maintainability describes the ease with which a system can be modified or repaired, and portability refers to how easily it can be transferred to different environments.

Identifying and defining Qualitätseigenschaften is crucial in software engineering and product development. It allows teams to set clear quality goals, design for specific quality aspects, and develop appropriate testing strategies to verify that these attributes are met. Without clearly defined quality attributes, it can be difficult to objectively assess and improve the overall quality of a product or system. They serve as important non-functional requirements that guide development efforts beyond just basic functionality.