Document Quality Indicators: A Framework for Assessing Documentation Adequacy

This paper presents case study results of a research effort funded by the Naval Surface Warfare Systems (NSWC) at Dahlgren, Virginia. The investigation focuses on assessing the adequacy of project documentation based on an identified taxonomic structure relating documentation characteristics. Previous research in this area has been limited to the study of isolated characteristics of documentation and English prose, without considering the collective contributions of such characteristics. The research described in this paper takes those characteristics, adds others, and establishes a well-defined approach to assessing the "adequacy" of software documentation. The identification of Document Quality Idicators (DQIs) provide the basis for the assessment procedure. DQIs are hierarchically defined in terms of document Qualities, Factors that refine Qualities, and Quantifiers that provide for the measurement of Factors.