Look for Defect Indicators which have been correlated with low reliability, design flaws and high maintenance costs

IfSQ

Findings from Research
What should you look for?

Professional Software Development

Professional Software Development is best achieved by using the IfSQ Level-2 Standard, A Foundation-Level Standard for Computer Program Source Code. Software which complies with the standard is more reliable, and contains less errors than non-compliant software.

A Level-2 Assessment takes about 3 minutes per page and can be performed by any programmer (other than the one who produced the program under assessment) who has followed the IfSQ Level-2 Assessment Course. The following research findings influenced the content of the standard:

Control-flow complexity has been correlated with low reliability and frequent errors.
The competent programmer is fully aware of the strictly limited size of his own skull.
Copy and Paste is a design error.
39% of all errors are caused by internal interface errors / errors in communication between routines.
50% to 80% of plain "if" statements should have had an "else" clause.