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Specification and analysis of nonfunctional characteristics (NFC), such as availability, reliability, safety, and security is a critical activity in software engineering for it affects the degree to which realistic quality levels are set for and met by software. Expressive and structured specification and rigorous analysis of NFC still seem elusive. The present paper proposes a comprehensive generalization and extension of the established NFR framework. An expressive NFC conceptualization for reasoning about unclear, preferential, and subjective information is combined with a set of techniques for the construction and analysis of links between NFC to allow more precise NFC specifications and structured comparison of alternative system structures for justifiably appropriate software engineering decisions.

Status: Second complete draft.