EMERALD - SOFTWARE METRICS AND MODELS ON THE DESK-TOP

As software becomes more and more sophisticated, industry has begun to place a premium on software reliability. Consequently, software relia bility is a strategic business weapon in an increasingly competitive m arketplace. In response to these concerns, BNR, Nortel, and Bell Canad a recently developed Emerald, a decision support system designed to im prove telecommunications software reliability. Emerald efficiently int egrates software measurements, quality models, and delivery of results to the desktop of software developers. Emerald not only improves soft ware reliability, but also facilitates the accurate correction of fiel d problems. The authors' experiences developing Emerald taught them va luable lessons about the implementation and adoption of this type of s oftware tool, which they present here.