What term describes the ease of modifying a software product to correct defects or meet new requirements?

The concept that pertains to the ease of modifying a software product to correct defects or meet new requirements is known as maintainability. This quality attribute refers to how easy it is to make enhancements or alterations to the software. High maintainability indicates that developers can make changes quickly and efficiently, which is crucial in agile development environments where requirements can frequently evolve.

Maintainability encompasses various factors, including code clarity, modularity, and documentation, all of which assist in the speedy modification of the software. If a software system is designed with maintainability in mind, it can be adapted more easily to fix bugs or integrate new functionality, ultimately shortening the development lifecycle and improving overall responsiveness to change.

In contrast, the other terms offered describe different aspects of software quality. Portability relates to the ease with which software can be transferred from one environment to another. Scalability refers to a software system's ability to handle growth, whether in terms of users or data volume. Usability focuses on how user-friendly and intuitive a system is for end-users. Each of these attributes is important but does not specifically encapsulate the ease of making modifications as maintainability does.