Software Measurement and Metrics

Software   Measurement   and   Metrics:  

• It refers to numerical data related to software development. Strongly support software project management activities.
• Measurement is fundamental to any engineering discipline and can be directly observable quantities or can be derived from one.
• Software Metrics - Broad range of measurements for computer software Software Process - Measurement can be applied to improve it on a continuous basis Software Project - Measurement can be applied in estimation, quality control, productivity assessment & project control
• Measurement can be used by software engineers in decision making.

 

• Measure - Quantitative indication of the extent, amount, dimension, capacity or size of some attribute of a product or process
• Measurement - The act of determining a measure
• Metric - A quantitative measure of the degree to which a system, component, or process possesses a given attribute
• Process metrics are measures of the software development process, such as Used in estimation techniques & other technical work. Metrics collected from past projects are used as a basis from which effort and time estimates are made for current software projects.
• Overall development time: Type of methodology used Process metrics are collected across all projects and over long periods of time. Their intent is to provide indicators that lead to long-term software process improvement. 
• To improve any process, the rational way is: Measure Specific attributes of the process. Derive meaningful metrics from these attributes. Use these metrics to provide indicators. The indicators lead to a strategy for improvement
• Direct Metrics: Easy to collect, Execution speed, memory size, defects, etc.
• Indirect Metrics: More difficult to assess & can be measured indirectly only.
• As a project proceeds, actual values of human & calendar time expended are compared to the original estimates.