Summary This paper proposes a generalization of the exponential software reliability model to characterize several factors including fault introduction and time‐varying fault detection rate. The software life cycle is designed based on module structure such as testing effort spent during module testing and detected software faults etc. The resource allocation problem is a critical phase in the testing stage of software reliability modelling. It is required to make decisions for optimal resource allocation among the modules to achieve the desired level of reliability. We formulate a multi‐objective software reliability model of testing resources for a new generalized exponential reliability function to characterizes dynamic allocation of total expected cost and testing effort. An enhanced particle swarm optimization (EPSO) is proposed to maximize software reliability and minimize allocation cost. We perform experiments with randomly generated testing‐resource sets and varying the performance using the entropy function. The multi‐objective model is compared with modules according to weighted cost function and testing effort measures in a typical modular testing environment.

Summary This paper propose a learning algorithm of supervised back‐propagation neural networks for dynamic weighted combination of software reliability model. The proposed model is an assimilation of 3 well‐known non‐homogeneous poisson process (NHPP)–based software reliability growth models with imperfect debugging. The novel approach of proposed supervised back propagation–based neural network 2‐stage architecture has a great impact on the network by combining the imperfect debugging models based on the nature of fault introduction rate during testing and debugging. Function approximation metrics are used for comparing the proposed model with individual models. Three data sets are trained using supervised back‐propagation neural networks to compare the performance and validity evaluation of proposed and existing NHPP models and dynamic weighted combinational model. Reliability analysis among important NHPP models incorporating imperfect debugging is illustrated through numerical and graphical explanation of several metrics using supervised back‐propagation neural networks.