RELIABILITY ANALYSIS OF OPEN-SOURCE PROJECTS USING SOFTWARE RELIABILITY GROWTH MODELS WITH FAULT REMOVAL EFFICIENCY

Abstract

Accurate software reliability prediction is critical for managing Open-Source Software (OSS) maintenance and release decisions. This paper presents a reliabilityanalysis for OSS projects using Software Reliability Growth Models (SRGMs)incorporating fault-removal efficiency. They are applied to real OSS defect-report data.This approach models the dynamics of defect accumulation and removal over time. Thestudy demonstrates how the efficiency of removing discovered faults directly impactsoverall software reliability. Furthermore, reliability evolution during testing and operationis visualized using heat map visualizations. These provide an intuitive representationof defect density changes over time. Results confirm that SRGM incorporatingfault-removal efficiency is a robust quantitative method for predicting and evaluatingOSS reliability. This work offers valuable insights for project managers managingresources and quality in open-source environments.