K : Competitiveness (aka Performance) Ea : Efficacy Ei : Efficiency Qp : Quality of Product Qs : Quality of Service T : Time C : Cost Ea =def Qp * Qs Ei =def 1 / (C * T) K =def Ea * Ei = (Qp * Qs) / (C * T)
The definition of competitiveness is common to all kinds of engineering, but, due to the very nature of the object matter, with software (in fact, with all knowledge-related production), contrary to what happens with conventional engineering (the "hard" kinds of production), efficacy and efficiency are directly proportional. In other words, contra the usual assumptions, with software, higher quality goes with lower costs.
In symbols:
Ea ∝ 1/Ei for "hardware" Ea ∝ Ei for "software"