# Code Quality Evaluation Methodology Using The ISO/IEC 9126 Standard

**Authors:** Yiannis Kanellopoulos, Panos Antonellis, Dimitris Antoniou, Christos Makris, Evangelos Theodoridis, Christos Tjortjis, Nikos Tsirakis  
**arXiv:** [1007.5117](https://arxiv.org/abs/1007.5117)  
**Date:** 2010-07-29  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/1007.5117v1/

## Key points

- The paper presents a methodology for evaluating the quality of source code and its static behavior in a software system, using the ISO/IEC-9126 standard as a basis.
- The proposed approach employs elements automatically derived from source code, enhanced with expert knowledge in the form of quality characteristic rankings.
- The methodology is highly flexible, allowing for customization of metrics and source code attributes employed, as well as the specific ISO/IEC-9126 characteristics to be assessed.
- The approach can capture software quality trends and express expert perceptions concerning system quality in a quantitative and systematic manner.
- The methodology enables software engineers to evaluate both internal (source code) and external (user-perceived) quality factors in an integrated manner.
- It allows for easy customization based on project-specific requirements or preferences.
- It provides a clear framework for assessing software quality that can be easily communicated to stakeholders.

## Summary

This paper presents a methodology for evaluating the quality of source code and its static behavior in a software system, using the ISO/IEC-9126 standard as a basis. The proposed approach employs elements automatically derived from source code, enhanced with expert knowledge in the form of quality characteristic rankings. This allows software engineers to assign weights to source code attributes and assess them against various ISO/IEC-9126 characteristics. The methodology is highly flexible, allowing for customization of metrics and source code attributes employed, as well as the specific ISO/IEC-9126 characteristics to be assessed. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology, it was applied to two case studies involving five open-source systems and one proprietary system. Results showed that the approach can capture software quality trends and express expert perceptions concerning system quality in a quantitative and systematic manner. The authors note that their methodology provides several benefits over existing approaches. Firstly, it enables software engineers to evaluate both internal (source code) and external (user-perceived) quality factors in an integrated manner. Secondly, it allows for easy customization based on project-specific requirements or preferences. Finally, it provides a clear framework for assessing software quality that can be easily communicated to stakeholders. Overall, this paper provides valuable insights into how software engineers can effectively evaluate the quality of their source code using established standards such as ISO/IEC-9126. By providing a flexible yet rigorous methodology for conducting such evaluations, this work has important implications for improving software development practices across industries.