IPA IP 2022 Question 47
A question IPA Japan published in 令和4年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問47, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Which of the following is an appropriate description concerning software maintenance?
Explanation
Software corrections for a revised law are software maintenance — maintenance covers every modification made to software after it goes into operation, whatever the reason.
Software maintenance starts once the system is delivered and running in the production environment. It includes:
- •corrective maintenance: fixing faults that have caused failures
- •preventive maintenance: finding and fixing latent defects before they cause a failure
- •adaptive maintenance: changing the software to fit a changed environment, such as a revised law or tax rate, or new hardware or OS
- •perfective maintenance: changing it for new or altered requirements, such as a specification change
A law revision forces the system to change, so the correction is adaptive maintenance.
Answer (c)
Why not others:
- •(a) — correcting a latent defect before it causes a failure is preventive maintenance, so it is included
- •(b) — modifications for specification changes are also maintenance (perfective), not only defect fixes
- •(d) — defects fixed during development, before delivery, are part of development and testing; maintenance begins after the system is in operation
Key rule: Software maintenance is any change to software in operation: fixing faults, preventing them, adapting to new laws or environments, and meeting new requirements; fixes before delivery are development.
System Development Technology · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.