What is Software Crisis?

 

 What is SOFTWARE CRISIS? 

Software Crisis... 

Developments in software technology continue to be dynamic.  New tools and techniques announced in quick succession.  This has forced the software engineers and industry to continuously look for new approaches to software design and development, and they are becoming more ane more critical in view of the increasing complexity of software systems as well as the highly competitive nature of the industry. 

These rapid  Advances appear to have created a situation of crisis within the industry.

  The following issues need to be addressed to face this crisis:

•  How to represent real_life entities of problems in system design? 
•  How to design systems with open interfaces? 
•  How to ensure reusability and extensibility of modules?
•   How to develop modules that are tolerant to any charges in future?  
• How to improve software productivity and decrease software cost? 
•  How to improve the quality of software? 
•  How to manage time schedules?
•   How to industrialize the software development process? 

 Many software products are either not finished, or not used, or else are delivered with major errors.  Figure 1.1 shows the fate of the US defense software projects undertaken in the 1970's . 

Around 50% of the software products were never delivered, and one-third of those which were delivered were never used.  It is interesting to note that only 2% were used as delivered, without being subjected to any changes.  This illustrates that the software industry has a remarkably bad record delivering products.  

Changes in user requirements have always been a major problem, another study (Fig.1.2) that that more than 50% of the systems required modifications due to changes in user requirements a data formats.  It only illustrates that, in a changing world with a dynamic business environment, reque for change are unavoidable and therefore systems must be adaptable and tolerant to changes.

Software Crisis

These studies and other reports on software implementation suggest that software products should be evaluated carefully for their quality before they are delivered and implemented .

Some of t quality issues that must be considered for critical evaluation are:

 1. Correctness

 2. Maintainability

 3. Reusability 

4.  Openness and interoperability

 5. Protability 

6. Security 

7. Integrity 

8. User friendliness

 Selection and use of proper software tools would help resolving some of these issues.