Comparisons of nonhomogeneous Poisson process software reliability models and its applications

In this paper, existing software reliability models based on an nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) are summarized. A recently developed NHPP model with imperfect debugging and time-dependent fault detection rate is examined. The results show that this proposed model provides improved descriptive and predictive power when compared with other existing NHPP models. The model can also be incorporated into a software cost model for reliability assessment. The optimal release policies which minimize the expected total software cost are also presented.