Glossary Updates12 new terms added to the glossaries · October 2, 2026, 22:44 CEST
AI TechDocKnowledge

Glossary · Automation software engineering and architecture

Code quality

Also known as: Software code quality

German: Codequalität

In software engineering, code quality is the degree to which source code meets characteristics such as correctness, readability, maintainability, reliability, efficiency and security, and complies with the coding standards that apply to the project.

  • Software engineering

In one sentence

Code quality is how well source code meets characteristics such as correctness, readability, maintainability and security.

Example

A code quality dashboard for PLC libraries tracks rule violations, nesting depth and duplicated code, and new violations block the merge.

How it applies

  • Engineering: Code quality is assessed through Code review, Linting, static analysis, metrics and tests. Quality models such as ISO/IEC 25010 describe product quality characteristics that help structure these checks.
  • Maintenance: Automation software is often maintained for decades by people who did not write it. Readable, consistent code reduces commissioning time, troubleshooting effort and the risk of errors during changes.
  • Documentation: Comments and generated reference documentation are part of code quality. The documentation team can agree with developers on comment conventions that allow API or library references to be generated directly from the source.

Code quality vs. product quality

Code quality is an internal property of the software. Product quality is what users experience: functions, performance and reliability. Poor code quality does not always show immediately but raises the cost and risk of every later change.

Metrics are indicators, not goals: optimizing a single number, such as a complexity score, can make code worse.

By knowledge.aitechdoc.world · Published September 26, 2026 · Last reviewed

Source: AI TechDoc Knowledge editorial definition, based on software quality practice (ISO/IEC 25010 context)

Definitions follow the cited standards and specifications. Where a source is a copyrighted publication, such as an ISO, IEC or EN standard, the definition is a close paraphrase, not a verbatim quotation, so as not to infringe copyright. We recommend reading the original publication. The sections “How it applies” are editorial commentary by AI TechDoc Knowledge and are not part of any standard.

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