HASARD: A Model-Based Method for Quality Analysis of Software Architecture

Abstract. HASARD stands for Hazard Analysis of Software ARchitectural Designs. It is a model-based method for the analysis of software quality as entailed in software architectural designs. In this method, quality hazards are systematically explored and their causes and effects are identified. The results of hazard analysis are then transformed into a graphical quality model of the system under assessment. Queries about quality related properties of the system can be answered automatically through a set of algorithms with the quality model as the input. Such queries include: (1) the relationships between various quality attributes as manifested in the particular design, (2) the design decisions critical to a given quality concern, (3) the impacts of a given design decision to quality attributes, (4) trade-off points in the design that balancing conflict quality concerns, etc. The chapter will present a prototype tool called SQUARE to support the whole process of HASARD analysis. It will also report a case study with a real software system to demonstrate the feasibility and usability of the HASARD method.