This methodology drives the construction of domain-specific quality models in terms of the ISO/IEC 9126-1 quality standard. These models can be used to describe the quality factors of software packages uniformly and comprehensively and to state requirements when selecting a software package in a particular context.

Abstract. The architectural definition of hybrid software systems is a challenging problem that demands to reconcile stakeholders' strategic needs and components marketplace, whilst defining an appropriate set of services. We have defined a method called DHARMA based on the i* framework. The goal of this paper is to present an experience report about the use of i* in large-scale projects. We provide two different viewpoints: the viewpoint of the stakeholder and the viewpoint of the modeller. Apart from general lessons learned, we also provide some insights about the use of i* in the specific context of architecting hybrid systems using DHARMA.

The selection of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components is currently a central activity in the development of information systems. Criteria for selecting COTS components include both technical and non-technical issues. Whilst many catalogues of technical quality factors exist, it is not the case for non-technical ones. In this paper, we propose an extension of the ISO/IEC 9126-1 catalogue with non-technical factors. The extension is designed to be integrated smoothly in the departing catalogue, therefore we keep the hierarchy-oriented structure and we distinguish the three abstraction levels of the ISO/IEC standard. We provide some evidence of the adequacy of the catalogue by reporting on its use in some recent COTS selection experiences carried out in the context of the ETAPATELECOM company (Ecuador).

oftware component selection 1 is growing in importance. Its success relies on correctly assessing the candidate components' quality. For a particular project, you can assess quality by identifying and analyzing the criteria that affect it.

Selection of software packages from user requirements is currently a central task in software engineering. Selection of inappropriate packages may compromise some business processes and may interfere negatively in the functioning of the involved organization. Success of package selection is currently endangered because of many factors, being one of the most importants the absence of structured descriptions of both the package features and the user quality requirements. In this paper, we propose a methodology for describing the quality factors of software packages using the ISO/IEC quality standard as framework. Following this standard, relevant attributes for a specific software domain are identified and structured as a hierarchy, and metrics for them are chosen. Software packages in this domain can be then described in a uniform and comprehensive way. Therefore, selection of packages can be ameliorated by transforming user quality requirements into requirements expressed in terms of the quality model attributes. We illustrate the approach by presenting in some depth a quality model for the mail servers domain.