🌁Software Engineering: Quality Assurance (Definitions)

"A planned and systematic means for assuring management that the defined standards, practices, procedures, and methods of the process are applied." (Sandy Shrum et al, "CMMI®: Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement", 2003)

"(1) Activities to ensure that an item or work product conforms to established requirements and standards. Also called product assurance. (2) Activities to ensure that defined standards, procedures, and processes are applied." (Richard D Stutzke, "Estimating Software-Intensive Systems: Projects, Products, and Processes", 2005)

"A business function that is responsible for the (often statistically based) evaluation of how well a product conforms to requirements (according to the PRD) and specifications (according to the PSD)." (Steven Haines, "The Product Manager's Desk Reference", 2008)

"A process for evaluating project performance in relation to the specified standard of quality." (Bonnie Biafore, "Successful Project Management: Applying Best Practices and Real-World Techniques with Microsoft® Project", 2011)

"All activities within quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled." (Tilo Linz et al, "Software Testing Foundations" 4th Ed., 2014)

"Part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled." (ISO 9000)

🌁Software Engineering: Kanban Board (Definitions)

"A big board. (See big board.) Typically, columns indicate each task’s status. Columns might be labeled Backlog, Ready, Coding, Testing, Approval, and Done. In some variations, rows indicate the person assigned to each task." (Rod Stephens, "Beginning Software Engineering", 2015)

"A visualization tool that enables improvements to the flow of work by making bottlenecks and work quantities visible." (PMI, "Practice Standard for Scheduling" 3rd Ed., 2019)

"A workflow and work visualization chart describing activities flow within a project, originally created in the 1940s by Toyota." (Miguel A Garcia-Ruiz et al, "A User Study of Virtual Reality for Visualizing Digitized Canadian Cultural Objects", 2019)

🌁Software Engineering: Kanban (Definitions)

"An agile methodology where a team member who finishes his current item takes the next highest priority item from the project’s backlog. Kanban seeks to restrict the amount of work in progress at any given time." (Rod Stephens, "Beginning Software Engineering", 2015)

"In software development, a method for developing software on a just-in-time basis. Kanban removes the scrum time boxed method to track work, which is useful when your development team members have specialized skills." (Pamela Schure & Brian Lawley, "Product Management For Dummies", 2017)

"Agile method to manage work by limiting work in progress. Team members pull work as capacity permits, rather than work being pushed into the process when requested. Stimulates continuous, incremental changes. Aims at facilitating change by minimizing resistance to it." (Jurgen Janssens, "Managing Customer Journeys in a Nimble Way for Industry 4.0", 2019)

"An agile method inspired by the original Kanban inventory control system and used specifically for knowledge work." (Project Management Institute, "Practice Standard for Scheduling"  3rd Ed., 2019)

"An agile process framework with a flow control mechanism used for just-in-time pull driven production where the upstream processing activities are started by the downstream process request signals." (Shanmuganathan Vasanthapriyan & Kalpani M U Arachchi, "Effectiveness of Scrum and Kanban on Agile-Based Software Maintenance Projects", 2020)

"A method in software development which considered as a system for visualizing work and converting it into flow to reduce waste time and maximizing customer value." (Fayez Salma & Jorge M Gómez, "Challenges and Trends of Agile", 2021)

🌁Software Engineering: Microservices (Definitions)

"In computing, a software architecture style in which complex applications are composed of small, independent processes communicating with each other using language-agnostic Application Programming Interface (API). These services are small and highly decoupled and focus on doing a small task." (Pierre Pureur & Murat Erder, "Continuous Architecture", 2015)

"Are an IT architectural pattern for decoupling dependencies between complex software applications and enabling independent processes that than work together through independent APIs." (Anna Wiedemann et al, "Transforming Disciplined IT Functions: Guidelines for DevOps Integration", 2021)

"It is a specific way of decomposition of services in a greater granularity. Also, microservice represents a capability of the business process in a lesser level of abstraction than a service, Then, a microservice is a service but with greater granularity or in a lesser level of abstraction." (Laura C Rodriguez-Martinez et al, "Service-Oriented Computing Applications (SOCA) Development Methodologies: A Review of Agility-Rigor Balance", 2021)

"A piece of code or complete application that does one thing and does it well." (Forrester)

"Microservices is both an approach to software architecture that builds a large, complex application from multiple small components which each perform a single function (such as authentication, notification, or payment processing) and the term for the small components themselves. Each microservice is a distinct unit within the software development project, with its own codebase, infrastructure, and database. The microservices work together, communicating through web APIs or messaging queues to respond to incoming events." (NGINX) [source] 

"Microservices refer to the thousands of independent web standards, programming languages, database platforms, and web server components that are found in the contemporary software development lifecycle as developer tools." (VMWare) [source]

"The microservices architecture is a design approach to build a single application as a set of small services. Each service runs in its own process and communicates with other services through a well-defined interface using a lightweight mechanism, typically an HTTP-based application programming interface (API). Microservices are built around business capabilities; each service is scoped to a single purpose." (Amazon) 

🌁Software Engineering: Software Engineering [SE] (Definitions)

"Software engineering is the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to obtain economically software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines." (Peter Naur & Brian Randell, 1968)

“[Software engineering is the] establishment and use of sound engineering principles to obtain economically software that is reliable and works on real machines efficiently. (Friedrich Bauer, "Software Engineering", Information Processing, 1972) 

"(1) The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software. (2) The study of approaches as in (1)." (Sandy Shrum et al, "CMMI®: Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement", 2003)

"(1) The disciplined and systematic application of methods, techniques, and tools to the development, operation, and maintenance of software and software-intensive systems. (2) The building of large, complex software-intensive systems by teams of engineers and programmers. (3) The study of the activities defined in (1) and (2)." (Richard D Stutzke, "Estimating Software-Intensive Systems: Projects, Products, and Processes", 2005)

"A discipline that advocates a systematic approach of developing high-quality software on a large-scale while taking into account the factors of sustainability and longevity, as well as, organizational constraints of time and resources." (Pankaj Kamthan, "Pair Modeling", 2008)

"Application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development of Information Systems/Software." (Leonor Teixeira et al, "Web-Enabled System Design for Managing Clinical Information", 2008)

"Techniques, models, and processes to develop quality software" (M J Escalona & G Aragón, "The Use of Metamodels in Web Requirements to Assure the Consistence", 2008)

"To engineer the development of software comprises a rigorous analysis and design of the product, the application of formal methods in the development process an in the resulting product description, and modularization of the relevant parts of the software to allow for malleability and for reusability." (Alke Martens & Andreas Harrer, "Software Engineering in e-Learning Systems", 2008)

"It is the computer science discipline concerned with creating and maintaining software applications by applying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, engineering, application domains, and other fields." (Graciela D S Hadad & Jorge H Doorn, "Creating Software System Context Glossaries", 2009)

"Software engineering is a well-established discipline that groups together a set of techniques and methodologies for improving software quality and structuring the development process." (Ghita K Mostéfaoui, "Software Engineering for Mobile Multimedia: A Roadmap", 2009)

"The software engineering discipline covers the development of software systems. Software engineers focus on applying systematic, disciplined, and quantifiable approaches to the development, operation, and maintenance of software." (Rick Gibson, "Software and Systems Engineering Integration", 2009)

"A discipline that advocates a systematic approach of developing high-quality software on a large-scale while taking into account the factors of sustainability and longevity, as well as, organizational constraints of resources." (Pankaj Kamthan, "A Social Web Perspective of Software Engineering Education", 2010)

"Is a systematic and disciplined approach to developing software, which applies both computer science and engineering principles and practices to the creation, operation and maintenance of software systems." (Christian Scholz et al, "From the Lab to the Factory Floor: Engineering Software for Wireless Sensor Networks", 2012)

"Is the study and application of engineering to the design, development, and maintenance of software. In short, the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software." (Rosanna Costaguta, "Data Mining Applications in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning", 2015)

"An engineering discipline that involves with all aspect of software development that applies engineering approaches in order to deliver high quality software products." (Seyed R Shahamiri, "The Challenges of Teaching and Learning Software Programming to Novice Students", 2018)

"The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software; that is, the application of engineering to software." (Tamer Abdou et al, "Developing a Glossary for Software Projects", Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition, 2018)

"Software engineering is the discipline and best practices used in developing software." (Alex Thomas, "Natural Language Processing with Spark NLP", 2020)

"The application of engineering to the development of software in a systematic method." (Shanmuganathan Vasanthapriyan & Kalpani M U Arachchi, "Effectiveness of Scrum and Kanban on Agile-Based Software Maintenance Projects", 2020)

"The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches." (Antonio A M Costa, "Disciplined Teams vs. Agile Teams: Differences and Similarities in Software Development", 2021)

"The systematic application of engineering approaches to the development of software." (Jan Bosch et al, "Engineering AI Systems: A Research Agenda", 2021)

"It is the establishment and use of robust, targeted engineering principles to obtain economic, reliable, efficient software that satisfies the user needs." (Mirna Muñoz, "Boosting the Competitiveness of Organizations With the Use of Software Engineering", 2021)

"The application of engineering to the development of software in a systematic method." (Kamalendu Pal & Bill Karakostas, "Software Testing Under Agile, Scrum, and DevOps", 2021)

"The application and the study of systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approaches to the development, operation, and maintenance of software." (IEEE 610.12)

🌁Software Engineering: Inspection (Definitions)

"Visual examination of work products to detect errors, violations of development standards, and other problems." (Richard D Stutzke, "Estimating Software-Intensive Systems: Projects, Products, and Processes", 2005)

"The process of examining a component, subassembly, subsystem, or product for off-target performance, variability, and defects during either product development or manufacturing. The focus is typically on whether the item under inspection is within the allowable tolerances. As with all processes, inspection itself is subject to variability, and out-of-spec parts or functions might pass inspection inadvertently." (Clyde M Creveling, "Six Sigma for Technical Processes: An Overview for R Executives, Technical Leaders, and Engineering Managers", 2006)

"A core technique in software quality assurance where a group of reviewers independently and systematically examine software artifacts to find defects. Inspections are highly effective where software testing is not possible, in particular, for textual specifications and design documents." (Frank Padberg, "Counting the Hidden Defects in Software Documents", 2010)

"Examining or measuring to verify whether an activity, component, product, result, or service conforms to specified requirements. " (Cynthia Stackpole, "PMP® Certification All-in-One For Dummies®", 2011)

"A type of review that relies on visual examination of documents to detect defects - for example, violations of development standards and nonconformance to higher-level documentation. Inspection is the most formal review technique and therefore always based on a documented procedure." (Tilo Linz et al, "Software Testing Foundations" 4th Ed., 2014)

"A verification method in which one member of a team reads the program or design aloud line by line and the others point out errors" (Nell Dale & John Lewis, "Computer Science Illuminated" 6th Ed., 2015)

"Examination of a work product to determine whether it conforms to documented standards." (Project Management Institute, "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide )", 2017)

 "A type of review that relies on visual examination of documents to detect defects, e.g. violations of development standards and non- conformance to higher level documentation. The most formal review technique and therefore always based on a documented procedure" (IEEE 610, IEEE 1028)

🌁Software Engineering: Black-Box Testing (Definitions)

"A specification-based test that looks at a system or unit exclusively from the outside, that is, over its public interface;" (Johannes Link & Peter Fröhlich, "Unit Testing in Java", 2003)

"This test compares the externally observable behavior at the external software interfaces (without knowledge of their structure) with the desired behavior. Black-Box tests are frequently equated with »functional tests«, although they can of course also include non-functional tests. See also White-box test." (Lars Dittmann et al, "Automotive SPICE in Practice", 2008)

"A software testing methodology that looks at available inputs for an application and the expected outputs from each input." (Mike Harwood, "Internet Security: How to Defend Against Attackers on the Web" 2nd Ed., 2015)

"A test designed by someone who doesn’t know how the code works internally." (Rod Stephens, "Beginning Software Engineering", 2015)

"A testing technique that tests the functionality of the application under test without knowledge of the internal code structure, implementation details, and internal paths of the software." (Pooja Kaplesh & Severin K Y Pang, "Software Testing", Software Engineering for Agile Application Development, 2020)

"A method of software testing that examines the functionality of an application without peering into its internal structures or workings. This method of test can be applied to virtually every level of software testing: unit, integration, system and acceptance." (NIST SP 800-192)

"A test methodology that assumes no knowledge of the internal structure and implementation detail of the assessment object." (CNSSI 4009-2015)

[black-box test design technique:] "Procedure to derive and/or select test cases based on an analysis of the specification, either functional or non-functional, of a component or system without reference to its internal structure." (ISTQB)

"Testing, either functional or non-functional, without reference to the internal structure of the component or system." (ISTQB)

🌁Software Engineering: White-box Testing (Definitions)

"An implementation-based test, in contrast to a specification-based test" (Johannes Link & Peter Fröhlich, "Unit Testing in Java", 2003)

"This test is derived knowing the inner structure of the software and based on the program code, design, interface descriptions, and so on. White-box tests are also called» structure based tests." (Lars Dittmann et al, "Automotive SPICE in Practice", 2008)

[white box test design technique:] "Any technique used to derive and/or select test cases based on an analysis of the internal structure of the test object (see also structural test)." (Tilo Linz et al, "Software Testing Foundations" 4th Ed., 2014)

"A software testing methodology that examines the code of an application. This contrasts with black box testing, which focuses only on inputs and outputs of an application." (Mike Harwood, "Internet Security: How to Defend Against Attackers on the Web" 2nd Ed., 2015)

"A test designed by someone who knows how the code works internally. That person can guess where problems may lie and create tests specifically to look for those problems." (Rod Stephens, "Beginning Software Engineering", 2015)

"The testing method where test cases are generated in order to test a program at a source code level." Pedro Delgado-Pérez et al, "Mutation Testing", 2015)

"A testing technique to test the internal structure, design and coding of a software solution." (Pooja Kaplesh & Severin K Y Pang, "Software Testing, Software Engineering for Agile Application Development", 2020)

"A test methodology that assumes explicit and substantial knowledge of the internal structure and implementation detail of the assessment object." (NIST SP 800-137)

[white-box test design technique:] "Procedure to derive and select test cases based on an analysis of the internal structure of a component or system." (ISTQB)

"Testing based on an analysis of the internal structure of the component or system." (ISTQB)

🌁Software Engineering: Traceability (Definitions)

"The evidence of an association between a requirement and its source requirement, its implementation, and its verification." (Sandy Shrum et al, "CMMI®: Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement", 2003)

"A discernable association among two or more logical entities such as requirements, system elements, verifications, or tasks." (Sandy Shrum et al, "CMMI: Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement" 2nd Ed., 2006)

"The quality of information to be linked to its background or sources." (Martin J Eppler, "Managing Information Quality" 2nd Ed., 2006)

[horizontal traceability:] "The tracing of requirements for a test level through the layers of test documentation (e.g., test plan, test design specification, test case specification, and test procedure specification or test script)." (Tilo Linz et al, "Software Testing Practice: Test Management", 2007)

[vertical traceability:] "The tracing of requirements through the layers of development documentation to components." (Tilo Linz et al, "Software Testing Practice: Test Management", 2007)

"Starting from requirements, traceability establishes a correlation between elements of different development steps." (Lars Dittmann et al, "Automotive SPICE in Practice", 2008)

"The degree to which each element of a product can be mapped back to the individual requirement or requirements, which in-turn, are linked back to the original validated market or customer need." (Steven Haines, "The Product Manager's Desk Reference", 2008)

"Capability of linking artifacts produced by enterprise architecture or realization activities to other artifacts from which they originate or to which they refer." (Gilbert Raymond & Philippe Desfray, "Modeling Enterprise Architecture with TOGAF", 2014)

[traceable:] "Information that is sufficient to make a determination about a specific aspect of an individual's activities or status." (NIST SP 800-122)

"The ability to identify related items in documentation and software, such as requirements with associated tests. " (ISTQB)

"The degree to which a relationship can be established between two or more products of the development process, especially products having a predecessor-successor or master-subordinate relationship to one another" (IEEE 1233-1998)

🌁Software Engineering: Refactoring (Definitions)

"Rebuilding and restructuring code in very small steps without changing the behavior visible from outside." (Johannes Link & Peter Fröhlich, "Unit Testing in Java", 2003)

"Revising software design and code to improve their structure, without changing the functions and behavior of the software, in order to facilitate future modification and enhancement of the software. Used in many agile methods. Refactoring is a broader term than code restructuring." (Richard D Stutzke, "Estimating Software-Intensive Systems: Projects, Products, and Processes", 2005)

"A programming technique that enables you to evolve your code slowly over time, to take an evolutionary approach to programming." (Pramod J Sadalage & Scott W Ambler, "Refactoring Databases: Evolutionary Database Design", 2006)

"A simple change to source code that retains its behavioral semantics: You neither add functionality when you are refactoring nor take it away. A refactoring merely improves the design of your code - nothing more and nothing less." (Pramod J Sadalage & Scott W Ambler, "Refactoring Databases: Evolutionary Database Design", 2006)

"Refactoring is used to restructure existing software regarding aspects like modularity, flexibility, and extensibility, without changing the main software functionality." (Alke Martens & Andreas Harrer, "Software Engineering in e-Learning Systems", Encyclopedia of Information Technology Curriculum Integration, 2008)

"To clarify and simplify computer code." (Michael Coles & Rodney Landrum, , "Expert SQL Server 2008 Encryption", 2008)

"A structural transformation that provides a systematic way of eradicating the undesirable(s) from an artifact while preserving its behavioral semantics." (Pankaj Kamthan, "Pattern-Oriented Use Case Modeling", 2009)

[database refactoring:] "It indicates little changes in the database schema which preserve both the meaning of the data and the behaviors of the applications. These changes improve the quality of the design." (Vincenzo Deufemia et al, "Evolutionary Database: State of the Art and Issues", 2009)

"(1) Refactoring (noun): A change made to the internal structure of software to make it easier to understand and cheaper to modify without changing its observable behavior. (2) Refactor (verb): To restructure software by applying a series of refactorings without changing its observable behavior." (Jay Fields et al, Refactoring: Ruby Edition, 2010)

"Refactoring is the process of changing a software system in such a way that it does not alter the external behavior of the code yet improves its internal structure." (Jay Fields et al, Refactoring: Ruby Edition, 2010)

"A (software) refactoring is an explicit, replicable, and beneficial activity that transforms the structure or representation of a software component without changing its meaning (i.e., behavior). The goal of software refactoring is the improvement of the quality (e.g., maintainability) of the software system." (Jörg Rech et al, "Knowledge Patterns" [in "Encyclopedia of Knowledge Management" 2nd Ed.], 2011)

"Restructuring a program to make it more reliable, easier to read, or easier to maintain without changing its outward behavior." (Rod Stephens, "Stephens' Visual Basic® Programming 24-Hour Trainer", 2011)

"Reorganizing code to make it better suited for some purpose, such as parallelization." (Michael McCool et al, "Structured Parallel Programming", 2012)

"The act of changing code to improve some aspect of it, such as how it does something, without changing what it does." (Mark C Lewis, "Introduction to the Art of Programming Using Scala", 2012)

"A process by which existing code or processes are reengineered or restructured to improve nonfunctional aspects without impacting outcomes. It is usually done to make existing assets more manageable, efficient, and maintainable." (Evan Stubbs, "Delivering Business Analytics: Practical Guidelines for Best Practice", 2013)

"To restructure software code without altering its behavior for the purpose of improving quality attributes, easing future extension or adaptation, or adhering to an architectural style." (Project Management Institute, "Software Extension to the PMBOK Guide" 5th Ed, 2013)

"The process of rearranging and rewriting code to make it easier to understand, debug, and maintain." (Rod Stephens, "Beginning Software Engineering", 2015)

"A product quality technique whereby the design of a product is improved by enhancing its maintainability and other desired attributes without altering its expected behavior." (PMI, "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" 6th Ed., 2017)

"Refactoring is the activity of improving the internal structure or operation of a code or component without changing its external behavior." (Dean Leffingwell, "SAFe 4.5 Reference Guide: Scaled Agile Framework for Lean Enterprises" 2nd Ed., 2018)

🌁Software Engineering: Quality Function Deployment (Definitions)

"A disciplined process for obtaining, translating, and deploying the voice of the customer into the various phases of technology development and the ensuing commercialization of products or processes during product design." (Clyde M Creveling, "Six Sigma for Technical Processes: An Overview for R Executives, Technical Leaders, and Engineering Managers", 2006)

"A process for translating the voice of the customer into technical requirements at the product level. As part of the critical parameter-management process, QFD uses a series of matrixes called Houses of Quality to translate and link system requirements to subsystem requirements, which, in turn, are translated and linked to subassembly requirements, which are translated and linked to component requirements, which are translated and linked to manufacturing process requirements." (Clyde M Creveling, "Six Sigma for Technical Processes: An Overview for R Executives, Technical Leaders, and Engineering Managers", 2006)

"A disciplined process for obtaining, translating, and deploying the Voice of the Customer into the various Phases of Technology Development and the ensuing commercialization of products or processes during Product Design." (Lynne Hambleton, "Treasure Chest of Six Sigma Growth Methods, Tools, and Best Practices", 2007)

"1.A method of defining and implementing customer requirements. 2.An organized approach to involving customers in requirements specification and product design." (DAMA International, "The DAMA Dictionary of Data Management", 2011)

"A facilitated workshop technique that helps to determine critical characteristics for new product development. " (For Dummies, "PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies" 2nd Ed., 2013)

"A method to transform user demands into design quality, to deploy the functions forming quality, and to deploy methods for achieving the design quality into subsystems and component parts, and ultimately to specific elements of the manufacturing process." (ISTQB, "Standard Glossary", 2015)

"QFD is a facilitation technique using the voice-of-the-customer technique." (Cate McCoy & James L Haner, "CAPM Certified Associate in Project Management Practice Exams", 2018)

🌁Software Engineering: Dynamic Analysis (Definitions)

"The process of operating a system or component under controlled conditions to collect measurements to determine and evaluate the characteristics and performance of the system or component." (Richard D Stutzke, "Estimating Software-Intensive Systems: Projects, Products, and Processes", 2005)

"The process of evaluating a system or component based on its behavior during execution." (Mark S Merkow & Lakshmikanth Raghavan, "Secure and Resilient Software Development", 2010)

"The process of evaluating the behavior (e.g., memory performance, CPU usage) of a system or component during execution." (Tilo Linz et al, "Software Testing Foundations” 4th Ed., 2014)

"The process of evaluating the behavior, e.g. memory performance, CPU usage, of a system or component during execution. (IEEE 610)

🌁Software Engineering: Context Diagram (Definitions)

"A diagram that depicts the boundary and external interfaces of a system. It is drawn as a single circle, labeled with the name of the system, with directed lines (arrows) on the exterior of the circle indicating data flows to and from external entities, which are shown as rectangles (called 'terminators'). Context diagrams are used in structured analysis as the starting point for stepwise decomposition of the system’s data flows." (Richard D Stutzke, "Estimating Software-Intensive Systems: Projects, Products, and Processes", 2005)

"The top-level diagram in a data flow diagram that shows the environmental context in which the information system exists." (Jan L Harrington, "Relational Database Design and Implementation, 3rd Ed.", 2009)

"The highest-level diagram of a leveled set of data flow diagrams. It shows the system being studied as a single bubble connected to the outside world by its boundary data flows. This diagram, or more precisely the boundary data flows, defines the domain of the analysis study." (James Robertson et al, "Complete Systems Analysis: The Workbook, the Textbook, the Answers", 2013)

"A visual depiction of the product scope showing a business system (process, equipment, computer system, etc.), and how people and other systems (actors) interact with it." (For Dummies, "PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies" 2nd Ed., 2013)

"A diagram that represents the actors outside a system that could interact with that system." (IQBBA)

🌁Software Engineering: Beta Testing (Defintions)

"Testing of a product by a friendly customer or customers who are willing to use the product as intended so that any issues or problems can be uncovered and resolved." (Steven Haines, "The Product Manager's Desk Reference", 2008)

"The process of testing a program before you release the program to the end user." (Greg Perry, "Sams Teach Yourself Beginning Programming in 24 Hours" 2nd Ed., 2001)

"Operational testing by representative users/customers in the production environment of the user/customer. With a beta test, a kind of external acceptance test is executed in order to get feedback from the market and in order to create an interest with potential customers. It is done before the final release. Beta test is often used when the number of potential production environments is large." (Tilo Linz et al, "Software Testing Foundations, 4th Ed", 2014)

"Operational testing by potential and/or existing customers/users at an external site not otherwise involved with the developers, to determine whether or not a component of system satisfies the user needs and fits within the business processes. Beta testing is often employed as a  form of external acceptance testing in order to acquire feedback from the market." (ISTQB)

🌁Software Engineering: Reliability (Definitions)

"[...] the characteristic of an information infrastructure to store and retrieve information in an accessible, secure, maintainable, and fast manner." (Martin J Eppler, "Managing Information Quality 2nd Ed.", 2006)

"The measure of robustness over time. The length of time a product or process performs as intended." (Lynne Hambleton, "Treasure Chest of Six Sigma Growth Methods, Tools, and Best Practices", 2007)

"Reliability describes a product’s ability to maintain its defined functions under defined conditions for a specified period of time." (Lars Dittmann et al, "Automotive SPICE in Practice", 2008)

"A stochastic measure of the likelihood that a system will be able to deliver a service." (Bruce P Douglass, "Real-Time Agility: The Harmony/ESW Method for Real-Time and Embedded Systems Development", 2009)

"The degree to which the new system is perceived as being better than the system it replaces, often expressed in the economic or social status terms that will result from its adoption." (Linda Volonino & Efraim Turban, "Information Technology for Management" 8th Ed, 2011)

"The ability for a component (server, application, database, etc.) or group of components to consistently perform its functions." (Craig S Mullins, "Database Administration", 2012)

"A set of characteristics relating to the ability of the software product to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time or for a specified number of operations." (Tilo Linz et al, "Software Testing Foundations" 4th Ed, 2014)

 "It is a characteristic of an item (component or system), expressed by the probability that the item (component/system) will perform its required function under given conditions for a stated time interval." (Harish Garg,  "Predicting Uncertain Behavior and Performance Analysis of the Pulping System in a Paper Industry using PSO and Fuzzy Methodology", 2014)

"A characteristic of an item (component or system), expressed by the probability that the item (component/system) will perform its required function under given conditions for a stated time interval." (Harish Garg, "A Hybrid GA-GSA Algorithm for Optimizing the Performance of an Industrial System by Utilizing Uncertain Data", 2015)

"A sub-set of statistical engineering methodology that predicts performance of a product over its intended life cycle and understanding of the effects of various failure modes on system performance." (Atila Ertas, "Transdisciplinary Engineering Design Process", 2018)

"The ability of the software product to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time, or for a specified number of operations" (ISO 9126)

"The ability of the software product to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time, or for a specified number of operations." (ISO/IEC 25000)

"The capability of a system or component to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time." (IEEE Std 610.12-1990)