The disclosed herein relates to a method for failure rate prediction of a feature of a system under development. The method is executed by a processor coupled to a memory. The method includes defining a feature state of the feature during a predetermined time interval, the predetermined time interval being associated with a development stage of the system. The method also includes assigning a first defect class value to the feature for the predetermined time interval, the first defect class value configured to indicate a first condition and selecting, when a defect is reported for the feature, a second defect class value indicating a second condition, the second condition being associated with a higher failure rate than the first condition. The method can be embodied in system and a computer program product.