This is a study about systems, about the parameters that influence and control their behavior, and the nature and form of those influences. The work systematizes defect behavior and, as such, the solutions developed are system independent and can be used across disciplines.
When the developed theory is applied to software engineering, for example, one can understand and explain observed phenomena that have perplexed researchers and developers alike. Why, for example, have apparent breakthroughs on one software project not yielded similar results on another? Why are software resource estimates sometimes predictable, but at other times appear to obey undisclosed laws of a sinister force? And above all, what parameters best describe software and its properties? The general theory and accompanying closed-form expressions provide exact answers to these and other questions.
1 Introduction and Overview
2 The Maximum Entropy Principle
3 The Relationship of Complexity to Size, Environment, and Complicatedness
4 The Effect of System Structure on Defects
5 An Analysis of the Properties of Perfection
6 Defect Avoidance Strategies
7 The Software Factory
8 Examples in Software Engineering
9 The Perils of Fixed Defect Rates and Linear Defect Models
10 The Effect of Small Modules on Large Systems
,etc.