Software Engineering | Characteristics of good Software

Software is treated as a good software by the means of different factors. A software product is concluded as a good software by what it offers and how well it can be used. The factors that decide the software properties are divided into three categories: Operational, Transitional, and Maintenance. These are explained as following below. 

Software engineering is the process of designing, developing, and maintaining software systems. A good software is one that meets the needs of its users, performs its intended functions reliably, and is easy to maintain. There are several characteristics of good software that are commonly recognized by software engineers, which are important to consider when developing a software system. These characteristics include functionality, usability, reliability, performance, security, maintainability, reusability, scalability, and testability. 

1. Operational: In operational categories, the factors that decide the software performance in operations. It can be measured on:

• Budget
• Usability
• Efficiency
• Correctness
• Functionality
• Dependability
• Security
• Safety

2. Transitional: When the software is moved from one platform to another, the factors deciding the software quality:

• Portability
• Interoperability
• Reusability
• Adaptability

3. Maintenance: In this categories all factors are included that describes about how well a software has the capabilities to maintain itself in the ever changing environment:

• Modularity
• Maintainability
• Flexibility
• Scalability

Good software is characterized by several key attributes, including:

1. Functionality: The software meets the requirements and specifications that it was designed for, and it behaves as expected when it is used in its intended environment.
2. Usability: The software is easy to use and understand, and it provides a positive user experience.
3. Reliability: The software is free of defects and it performs consistently and accurately under different conditions and scenarios.
4. Performance: The software runs efficiently and quickly, and it can handle large amounts of data or traffic.
5. Security: The software is protected against unauthorized access and it keeps the data and functions safe from malicious attacks.
6. Maintainability: The software is easy to change and update, and it is well-documented, so that it can be understood and modified by other developers.
7. Reusability: The software can be reused in other projects or applications, and it is designed in a way that promotes code reuse.
8. Scalability: The software can handle an increasing workload and it can be easily extended to meet the changing requirements.
9. Testability: The software is designed in a way that makes it easy to test and validate, and it has a comprehensive test coverage.
10. By adhering to these characteristics, software engineers can develop software that is functional, reliable, and maintainable, thus providing the best experience to the end-users.