The Islamia University of Bahawalpur

The Department of Information technology

Management of quality factors for better quantification of

error management and its impact on local software houses
Questionnaire for survey
Sarah Farooqi
Roll no 1133
 The Objectives and Sources for Instrument Development

Sections Objectives Questions Sources

I:DEMOGRAPHIC To assess the qualification of 1 Santos et al.
INFORMATION respondents 2 (2010),
To study the organizational Linberg (1999),
background
3
Fauziah (2008)
4
5
II: current issues To investigate the impact of 6
and challenges quality factors, including error 7
8 (Al-Asiri 2004)
management, maintainability,
9
and reliability, on the success 10
or failure of software 11
development projects in local 12
software houses.

III: quality factors To investigate the impact of 13 (Inayat, Salim et

quality factors, including error 14 al. 2015)
impact on the
management, maintainability,
15 (Wang,
success and and reliability, on the success
or failure of software Bernanda et al.
failure of project 2019)
development projects in local
software houses
1V:the main To determine whether local 16 (Kaur and Sengupta
2013, Dijkstra 2022,
reason behind software houses consider 17 Marquez, Ramoutar
18 et al. 2023)
project failure. reliability and maintainability
factors as significant reasons
behind project failure.
Dear Respected Respondent, We are conducting a survey regarding software practitioners’ perspective
focusing on the software processes, as part of our research work. Because you are one of the software
practitioners, thus we would like to invite you to participate in this survey. Basically the objectives of this
survey are:

Based on the problem statement, the following research objectives can be identified:

1. To identify the current issues and challenges related to error management in local
software houses
2. To investigate the impact of quality factors, including error management, maintainability,
and reliability, on the success or failure of software development projects in local
software houses.
3. To determine whether local software houses consider reliability and maintainability
factors as significant reasons behind project failure.

What you need to do:

Please tick (√) the most appropriate answer or write your rating accordingly. You are advised to
answer the questions based on your knowledge and experience. We would appreciate it very much
if you could answer the questions carefully as the information you provide will influence the
accuracy and the success of this research. It will take around 20 minutes to complete the
questionnaire. All answers will be treated as strictly confidential and will be used for the purpose of
the study only. This survey consists of 4 sections:

SECTION I : DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

SECTION II: current issues and challenges

SECTION III: quality factors impact on the success and failure of project

SECTION IV: the main reason behind project failure.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SECTION I: DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A. Respondent’s Background

1. What best describes your current position in your company?

1. Project Manager [ ]
2. System Analyst [ ]
3. Programmer [ ]
4. Security Advisor [ ]
5. Quality Assurance/Tester/Auditor [ ]
6. Team Leader [ ]
7. Other (please specify):________________

2. How long have you been participating in the software development?

1. < 1 year [ ] 11-20 years [ ]

2. 1-5 years [ ] 21-29 years [ ]
3. 6 – 10 years [ ]
4. 30 years and above [ ]

B. Organization’s Background
3. Which sector is your organization primarily in?

1. Service and Public Administration [ ]

2. Consultation [ ]
3. Education/Training [ ]
4. Telecommunication [ ]
5. Electricity, Gas & Water Supply [ ]
6. Agriculture, Hunting & Forestry [ ]
7. Construction [ ]
8. Hotels & Restaurants [ ]
9. Transport & Storage [ ]
10. Banking/Financial/Insurance [ ]
11. Software Development [ ]
12. Health & Social Work [ ]
13. Manufacturing [ ]
14. Others (please specify):______
4. What is the number of employees in your software house?

a. Less than 10
b. Between 10- 30
c. Between 30-50
d. Above 30

5. What type of ownership is your software house?

a. Private
b. Government Sector
c. Mixed government and private sector
d. Other______________
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SECTION II: Issues and challenges

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A. Issues:

6. In the past did you use quality factors?

a. Yes
b. No
c. Not sure

7. If yes than how long have you been using the quality factors for managing errors.

a. Less than 1 year

b. From 1 to 2 years
c. From 2-3 years
d. Not sure

8. What were the major gaps identifying (check all that apply)
a. Exclusion
b. Record keeping gaps
c. Effective control of process
d. Objective not measurable
e. Collection and analysis of data
f. Documentation gaps
g. Customer satisfaction
h. Objectives not consistent with quality policy
i. Top management commitment & responsibilities
j. Management of outsourced process
k. All of these
l. Other___________________________________

9. Please circle the level of knowledge about the quality factors in your software house.

It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point scale,
where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each statement.
Very high (1), high (2), unsure (3), low (4) very low (5)
 Knowledge about quality factors Very High Unsure Low Very
high (2) (3) (4) low (5)
(1)
Among your software house’s employee
Among the middle manager
Among the top manager

10. To which extent do you think following aspects are difficult to implement

It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point

scale, where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each
statement. Very easy (1), easy (2), unsure (3), difficult (4) very difficult (5)

Very easy Unsure Difficult Very

easy (2) (3) (4) difficult
(1) (5)
Documentation requirement
Management commitment
Management responsibilities
Responsibility and authority
Internal communication
Management review
Resource management
Product realization

Design and development

Purchasing
Production and service provision
Control of measuring and monitoring
devices
Control of non-conforming products
Analysis of data
 11. Please circle the level of obstacles faced by your software house in management of quality
factors for quantification of error management

Very High Unsure low Very low

Obstacles high (4) (3) (2) (1)
(5)
Lack of top management involvement
Difficulties in cooperation among middle
managers over quality problems
Lack of employee involvement
Lack of communication route
Lack of cooperation from customer
lack of training program related to
quality management
Lack of external advisers properly
qualified
Insufficient of project time

Standard difficult to interpret

Other _______________________

B. Challenges:

12. Please circle the level of challenges faced by your software house in management of
quality factors for quantification of error management
It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point scale,
where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each statement.
Strongly Agree (1), Agree (2), neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (4) Strongly
disagree (5)

Challenges Strongly Agree No Disagree Strongly

agree(1) (2) idea (4) disagree
(3) (5)
Strict deadlines
Developer ego
Extra cost required (e.g. for the
purchase of tools)
Bureaucracy involved in the
 process
Inadequate automated tools
Low level of acquaintance and
knowledge
Inexistent framework for quality
management in the organization
Lack of adequate training about the
organization’s quality framework
Disapproval by top management
Other _______________________

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SECTION III: quality factors impact on the success and failure of project

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13. It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point
scale, where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each
statement. Strongly Agree (1), Agree (2), neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (4)
Strongly disagree (5)
Quality planning Strongly Agree No disagree Strongly
agree idea disagree
Do you develop a quality plan for new
software projects before their
commencement?
How often do you use a project
schedule plan for each software
project?
Do you carry out risk management
activities for your software projects?
Do you use a budget plan for every
software project?
Do you plan the tests and reviews (e.g.
write the test cases) in advance
Other _______________________
14. It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point
scale, where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each
statement. Strongly Agree (1), Agree (2), neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (4)
Strongly disagree (5)

Strongly Agree No disagree Strongly

agree idea disagree
1. How frequently does your
organization prioritize the
management of quality factors in
the software development process?"

2. "To what extent do you believe that

error management strategies have a
significant impact on the overall
quality of software developed by
local software houses?"

How effective do you believe your

organization's error management
strategies are in addressing errors
during software development?"
Other _______________________

15. It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point
scale, where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each
statement. Strongly Agree (1), Agree (2), neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (4)
Strongly disagree (5)
How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about quality
factors and their impact on success and failure:

Strongly Agree Neither Disagree Strongly

agree Agree nor disagree
Disagree
Quality factors play a
critical role in determining
whether a product or service
is successful or not.
Products or services that
consistently meet or exceed
quality standards are more
likely to be successful than
those that do not.
 Poor quality can lead to
negative customer
experiences and damage a
company's reputation,
ultimately leading to failure.
Continuous improvement of
reliability and maintainability
processes is necessary to
ensure project success.

16. It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point
scale, where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each
statement. Strongly Agree (1), Agree (2), neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (4)
Strongly disagree (5)

Strongly Agree neither Disagree Strongly

Maintainability and
Agree Agree nor disagree
Reliability
Disagre

The reliability of project

deliverables is critical to
project success.
The project team should
prioritize the reliability of
project deliverables to ensure
project success.
Maintaining reliability
throughout the project
lifecycle is essential for
project success.
The maintainability of project
deliverables is a crucial factor
in project success.

The project team should

prioritize the maintainability
 of project deliverables to
ensure project success.

Failure to ensure reliability of

project deliverables will
negatively impact project
success.
Failure to ensure
maintainability of project
deliverables will negatively
impact project success..
The success of a project is
determined by the reliability
of project deliverables.
The success of a project is
determined by the
maintainability of project
deliverables.

17. Please circle your level of agreement to the disappointment experienced after
implementation of quality factors for quantification of errors

It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point

scale, where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each statement.
Very high (1), high (2), unsure (3), low (4) very low (5)

Very High Unsure low Very low

Disappointment high (2) (3) (4) (5)
(1)
Increased and complex paper work

High cost

Customer go to the suppliers

The quality factors are use-less for our

business
To difficult to learn and implement

Improved employee management 5 4 3 2 1

relationship
Other _______________________
 18. Do local software houses consider the reliability and maintainability factors are the main
reason behind project failure?
It typically involves a series of statements or questions that are rated on a 5 or 7-point
scale, where respondents indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each
statement. Strongly Agree (1), Agree (2), neither Agree nor Disagree (3), Disagree (4)
Strongly disagree (5)

Reliability Neither
Strongly Disagree Agree Agree Strongly
Disagree (4) nor (2) Agree
(5). Disagree (1)
(3)
"Reliability issues are a common cause of 5 4 3 2 1
software project failures."
"Ensuring software reliability should be a 5 4 3 2 1
top priority in software development."
Reliability testing and validation are 5 4 3 2 1
critical components of software
development."
Reliability metrics and monitoring are 5 4 3 2 1
important for identifying potential issues
before they become critical."
Other _______________________

Maintainability: Very High Unsure low Very low

high (4) (3) (2) (1)
(5)
Maintainability is a key factor in the long-term 5 4 3 2 1
success of software projects."
"Well-designed software architecture is essential 5 4 3 2 1
for maintainability."
Maintainability problems often lead to project 5 4 3 2 1
delays and cost overruns."
"Lack of user involvement and feedback is a 5 4 3 2 1
significant factor in project failures."
Other _______________________
Research questions:
To achieve the study's goal, the following research questions were developed:

1. What are the current issues and challenges w.r.t error management in local software
houses?
2. How do quality factors impact on the success and failure of project?
3. Do local software houses consider the reliability and maintainability factors are the main
reason behind project failure?
By identifying key areas of focus and providing a framework for conducting research and analysis, these
research questions can help guide a study on the management of quality factors for better
quantification of error management and its impact on local software houses.

Al-Asiri, M. M. (2004). Factors affecting the practices of ISO 9001: 2000 quality management system in
Saudi business organizations, University of Central Florida.

Dijkstra, E. W. (2022). On the reliability of programs. Edsger Wybe Dijkstra: His Life, Work, and Legacy:
359-370.

Inayat, I., et al. (2015). "A systematic literature review on agile requirements engineering practices and
challenges." Computers in human behavior 51: 915-929.
Kaur, R. and J. Sengupta (2013). "Software process models and analysis on failure of software
development projects." arXiv preprint arXiv:1306.1068.

Marquez, A., et al. (2023). "Inspection Analysis of Crude Oil Pipelines—Damages, Failures and Preventive
Program." Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention: 1-11.

Wang, G., et al. (2019). Application development and testing based on iso 9126 framework. Journal of
Physics: Conference Series, IOP Publishing.