ACRUMEN: What IS Software Quality Anyway?! by Dave Aronson

Keynote for Voxxed Days CERN 2025 --- Abstract: Without a good definition of software quality, you'll have a tough time achieving it, and if you don't share your definition with someone, you'll have a hard time convincing them that you have achieved it! This talk introduces ACRUMEN, my simple yet fairly comprehensive definition, that you can use with any tech stack, for free. It stands for the idea that software should be Appropriate, Correct, Robust, Usable, Maintainable, and Efficient. (Come to the talk to see what the N stands for!) I will explain why we need a new definition, and how to apply this one, then explore each aspect in turn, including further nuances and immediately useful tips on how to achieve each one. You will come away better equipped to analyze the quality of anybody's software, give precise feedback on its shortcomings, teach the next generation of developers how to produce high-quality software, and most importantly, improve the quality of your own software. #vdc25