Comparing Fault Prediction Models Using Change Request Data for a Telecommunication System

Many studies in the software reliability have attempted to develop a model for predicting the faults of a software module because the application of good prediction models provides the optimal resource allocation during the development period. In this paper, we consider the change request data collected from the field test of a large‐scale software system and develop statistical models of the software module that incorporate a functional relation between the faults and some software metrics. To this end, we discuss the general aspect of regression method, the problem of multicollinearity and the measures of model evaluation. We consider four possible regression models including two stepwise regression models and two nonlinear models. Four developed models are evaluated with respect to the predictive quality.