Software Reliability Growth Models (SRGM’s for
short) are used to control the software testing
process and to make it more effective. This paper
describes a family of SRGM’s which depends
continuously on a parameter. All of the models of
this family allow the prediction of
0 λ, the failure
rate at the beginning of the test and , the overall
number of faults at the beginning of the test. The
models in this family range from “generally
optimistic” to “generally pessimistic”. The well
known and widely used basic execution time model
of J. Musa belongs to this family. The new models
are the result of a general theory of software
reliability growth models developed by the author
(to be published). Models of this family are applied
to real data. It is described how this family of
models can be used for feedback control of the
software test process.