Quality of Service (QoS) is continuously growing in importance in the telecommunications industry because competition is growing fiercer by the day. By drawing on 30 years of experience, William C. Hardy explains how to examine specific tools and techniques that he has developed for the measurement and evaluation of QoS and understand the underlying analysis perspectives and methodologies. Details the basic concepts of QoS, together with the methodologies for organizing, structuring, and carrying out analyses of QoS from scratch. Describes the atttributes of the telecommunications service that determine user perception of quality in non–technical terms. Discusses specific measures, measurement techniques and evaluation criteria for all of the factors that affect user perception of QoS. Addresses user concerns including: ∗ Will I be able to get to the service when I want to use it? ∗ How long does it take before I know a connection is being set up? ∗ How good will voice sound over a connection? ∗ Includes valuable tips for QoS analysis and the perspectives vital for describing QoS in ways that are useful and operationally meaningful. Whether you have a limited technical background or are a telecommunications professional this simple and straightforward approach will be an essential tool to understanding QoS.