A Systematic Literature Review on Characteristics Influencing Software Reliability

Reliability, as a non-functional requirement, is a crucial aspect that refers to the system's ability to perform its intended functions consistently and without failure over an extended period. It is essential in designing and implementing software systems, as it affects software quality. Maintaining software reliability is a significant challenge, as it is directly impacted by factors such as the complexity of the software design, the amount of code, and the measures taken to secure the system from unauthorized use. There are significant growing appeals for predicting reliability to account for risks. Research on reliability risk assessment has a long tradition; unfortunately, comprehensible reliability characteristics are still vague when determining potential risks. Clearly defining, prioritizing, and addressing reliability characteristics is essential for delivering reliable, high-quality software that meets user needs and business goals. The ignorance and lack of comprehensive reliability characteristics have evolved into inaccurate risk assessment, triggering malfunctions in the operational environment. Comprehensive characteristics are key elements to predict and estimate software reliability. The reliability characteristics could determine the precise objective of reliability efforts. This systematic literature review aims to identify the key characteristics influencing software reliability, the potential risks associated with these characteristics, and the metrics used to measure and assess them. Thirty-one research articles related to research questions have been reviewed. The findings indicate that comprehensive reliability characteristics could identify, classify, and prioritize potential risks, improving current metrics. It can be concluded that the accurate potential reliability risk can demonstrate the consequence of failure.