Abstract

In the dynamic landscape of technology, software applications form the backbone of numerous daily activities, making the demand for reliable and efficient systems ever more critical. While various software quality models exist to address this need, these frameworks' diversity and inherent limitations often create challenges. Many models must prioritize quality metrics effectively or provide clear guidance for selecting appropriate quality elements tailored to specific contexts. This misalignment frequently results in fragmented assessments and inconsistent conclusions, limiting their practical utility in fast-paced development environments.

A priority-based framework for evaluating software quality that integrates multiple quality models is proposed to mitigate their limitations. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the research identifies 24 unique quality metrics and evaluates their effectiveness in capturing critical attributes such as reliability, maintainability, and efficiency. A structured survey of agile software development professionals ranks these metrics by their practical importance, forming the basis of a unified framework for prioritizing software quality elements.

As a result, Security, Reliability, and Functionality are the most critical dimensions, with average importance ratings of 4.9, 4.8, and 4.7, respectively. These rankings were validated by subject matter experts, showing a strong Spearman correlation of 0.91 with AHP-derived rankings. The proposed framework is designed for adaptability to real-world projects, offering a consistent and practical tool for advancing software quality assessment practices.