Software Development Metrics Essentials

It is impossible to imagine the community without computers and different kinds of programs that are meant to accomplish our life and make it more interesting. Database integration is a time-taking procedure that results in the release of a new software item and contains several stages, such as research, prototyping, growth, modification, improving etc. The primary objective here is to create a reliable and excellent program that will meet the needs and objectives of a certain type of users. That is why there is an increased need for high control of the top excellent.

Unfortunately, the program industry cannot ensure adequate statistic methods these days. Plenty of software designers agree on the factor that they just do not understand what factors have to be analyzed. More often, they evaluate the wrong issues, which does not allow illustrating proper and appropriate results. Consequently, release of software growth analytics is the number one objective for plenty of businesses today.

The reality is that any software measurement is associated with uncertain evaluation rules and can have several explanations at once. This effects the statistic procedure and leads to inadequate amount of data relevant to software expenses, excellent, employees attempt and plenty of other issues that issue in this company. Are there any chances to get over these issues successfully? Fortunately, there are. You just have to know what factors have to be calculated and what analytics can give rise to this procedure. With regard to this, it is practical to indicate that different analytics are used to evaluate the very procedure of software management, the potential clients and, of course, the employees. Hence, there are signs that have to be monitored just because they seem to be important for this company. There are also those that can give the supervisors of your company a further understanding into the employees performance. Other analytics can tell a lot about the program excellent and current issues associated with a new item.

All analytics that are used for calculating the procedure of software growth can be divided into 4 groups. Thus, web program examining is showed by such signs as stress examining, structure viewpoint, load examining and excellent viewpoint. These analytics have to be examined continually, because they are associated with performance monitoring, which is a valuable part of the program growth procedure.

Functional examining of software programs are the next aspect that requires evaluation. It is generally used to reveal primary insects of a new software item or system. Key performance signs here can be monitored from the perspective of 4 viewpoints, including examining as well as, resource allowance and excellent guarantee, learning and examining skills, methods of examining.

The next type of analytics that require statistic is associated with software development and development, which includes a few technical factors that affect the excellent of the ultimate item. Basic KPIs that issue in this team are relevant to performance viewpoint, the procedure of assessing the procedure of software development, development evaluation and evaluation of development result.

The last type of analytics, which consist of the "Software design" team, contains several elements that are important when it comes to the evaluation of style styles and modelling different languages. This is done by means of applying such signs as excellent, sensible size, exemption managing as well as style attempt.

To learn more about software growth analytics please stop by our website where there are plenty of BSC and analytics relevant items. Trial editions of applications and non software items are available.

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Target Goals

Basili and Rombach [Basili-88] define a Goal/Question/Metric paradigm that provides an excellent mechanism for defining a goal-based measurement program.  Figure 3 illustrates the Goal/Question/Metric paradigm.

The second step in setting up a metrics program is to select one or more measurable goals. The goals we select to use in the Goal/Question/Metric will vary depending on the level we are considering for our metrics. At the organizational

level, we typically examine high-level strategic goals like being the low cost provider, maintaining a high level of

customer satisfaction, or meeting projected revenue or profit margin target.  At the project level, we typically look at goals that emphasize project management and control issues or project level requirements and objectives.  These goals typically reflect the project success factors like on time delivery, finishing the project within budget or delivering software with the required level of quality or performance. At the specific task level, we consider goals that emphasize task success factors.  Many times these are expressed in terms of the entry and exit criteria for the task.

Software metrics programs must be designed to provide the specific information necessary to manage software projects and improve software engineering processes and services. Organizational, project, and task goals are determined in advance and then metrics are selected based on those goals. The metrics are used to determine our effectiveness in meeting these goals.

When talking to our customers, we may find many of their individual needs are related to the same goal

or problem but expressed from their perspective or in the terminology of their specialty. Many times, what we hear is their frustrations.

For example, the Project Manager may need to improve the way project schedules are estimated. The Functional Manager is worried about late deliveries.  The practitioners complain about overtime and not having enough time to do things correctly.  The Test Manager states that by the time the test group gets the software it’s too late to test it completely before shipment.

When selecting metrics, we need to listen to these customers and, where possible, consolidate their various goals or problems into statements that will help define the metrics that are needed by our organization or team.

In our example, all these individuals are asking for an improved and realistic schedule estimation process

Identify Metrics Customers

The first step of the “12 Steps to Useful Software Metrics” is to identify the customers for each metric. The customer of the metric is the person (or people) who will be making decisions or taking action based upon the metric; the person/people who needs the information supplied by the metric.

There are many different types of customers for a metrics program. This adds complexity to the program because each customer may have different information requirements. Customers may include:

•   Functional Management: Interested in applying greater control to the software development process, reducing risk and maximizing return on investment.

•   Project Management: Interested in being able to accurately predict and control project size, effort, resources, budgets and schedules.  Interested in controlling the projects they are in charge of and communicating facts to their management.

•    Software Engineers/Programmers: The people that actually do the software development.

Interested in making informed decisions about their work and work products. These people are responsible for collecting a significant amount of the data required for the metrics program.

•   Test Managers/Testers:  The people responsible for performing the verification and validation activities.  Interested in finding as many new defects as possible in the time allocated to testing and in obtaining confidence that the software works as specified. These people are also responsible for collecting a significant amount of the required data.

•   Specialists: Individuals performing specialized functions (e.g., Marketing, Software Quality Assurance, Process Engineering, Software Configuration Management, Audits and Assessments, Customer Technical Assistance).  Interested in quantitative information upon which they can base their decisions, finding and recommendations.

•   Customers/Users: Interested in on-time delivery of high quality software products and in reducing the over-all cost of ownership.

If a metric does not have a customer, it should not be produced. Metrics are expensive to collect, report, and analyze so if no one is using a metric, producing it is a waste of time and money.

The customers’ information requirements should always drive the metrics program. Otherwise, we may end up with a product without a market and with a program that wastes time and money. By recognizing potential customers and involving those customers early in the metric definition effort, the chances of success are greatly increased.

Testing ,Metrics

Testing Reliability metrics uses two approaches to evaluate the reliability.

First, it ensures that the system is fully equipped with the functions that are specified in the requirements. Because of this, the errors due to the lack of functionality decreases .

Second approach is nothing but evaluating the code , finding the errors and fixing them.

The current practices of software reliability measurement can be divided into four categories.

1) Product metrics

2) project management busy

3) process metrics

4) Fault and failure metrics

As discussed  earlier software size and complexity plays an important role in design and coding phase. One of the product metrics called function point metric is used to estimate the size and complexity of the program.

Project Management metrics increases reliability by evaluating the Management process whereas process metrics can be used to estimate , monitor and improve the reliability and quality of the software.

The final one, Fault and Failure Metrics determines, when the software is performing the whole functions that are specified by the requirement documents with out any errors. It takes the faults and failures that arises in the coding  and analyzes them to achieve this task.

Design and Code Reliability Metrics

The quality factors that exists in design and coding plan are complexity , size and modularity.

 If  there exists more complex modules, then it is difficult to understand and there is a high probability of occurring errors. So complexity of the modules should be less.

Next coming to size, it depends upon the factors such as total lines, comments, executable statements etc. According to  SATC , the most effective evaluation is the combination of size and complexity.

The reliability will decrease if modules have a combination of high complexity and large size or high complexity and small size. In the later combination also the reliability decreases because , the smaller size results in a short code which is difficult to alter.

These metrics are also applicable to object oriented code , but in this , additional metrics are required to evaluate the quality.