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Software Metrics for Quality Improvement

The document discusses software metrics which are quantitative measurements used to evaluate software products and processes. Metrics can be used to estimate costs and schedules, evaluate productivity, improve quality, and forecast needs. Example metrics include defect and error rates. Metrics are classified as products, processes, or resources and can be direct like lines of code or indirect like reliability. Function-based metrics count elements like user inputs to measure software size. In-process quality metrics track reliability growth and defect patterns over time. Combined metrics can provide a balanced view of a project's status.

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Jyoti Sur
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62 views12 pages

Software Metrics for Quality Improvement

The document discusses software metrics which are quantitative measurements used to evaluate software products and processes. Metrics can be used to estimate costs and schedules, evaluate productivity, improve quality, and forecast needs. Example metrics include defect and error rates. Metrics are classified as products, processes, or resources and can be direct like lines of code or indirect like reliability. Function-based metrics count elements like user inputs to measure software size. In-process quality metrics track reliability growth and defect patterns over time. Combined metrics can provide a balanced view of a project's status.

Uploaded by

Jyoti Sur
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Software Metrics

Software Engineering
Definitions
 Measure - Quantitative indication of extent,
amount, dimension, capacity, or size of some
attribute of a product or process.
– E.g., Number of errors.

 Metric –A software metrics relates the individual


measures in some way (the average number of
errors found per review or per unit test).
– E.g., Number of errors found per person hours
expended.
Motivation for Metrics
 Estimate the cost & schedule of future projects.

 Evaluate the productivity impacts of new tools and


techniques.

 Establish productivity trends over time.

 Improve software quality.

 Forecast future staffing needs.

 Anticipate and reduce future maintenance needs.


Example Metrics
 Defect rates
 Error rates

 Measured by:
– individual
– module
– during development

 Errors should be categorized by origin, type, cost.


Metric Classification
 Products
– Explicit results of software development activities
– Deliverables, documentation, by products

 Processes
– Activities related to production of software

 Resources
– Inputs into the software development activities
– hardware, knowledge, people
Product vs. Process
 Process Metrics
– Insights of process paradigm, software engineering
tasks, work product, or milestones
– Lead to long term process improvement

 Product Metrics
– Assesses the state of the project
– Track potential risks
– Uncover problem areas
– Adjust workflow or tasks
– Evaluate teams ability to control quality
Types of Measures
 Direct Measures (internal attributes)
– Cost, effort, LOC, speed, memory

 Indirect Measures (external attributes)


– Functionality, quality, complexity, efficiency,
reliability, maintainability
Function-Based Metrics

password test sensor Sensors


zone inquiry SafeHome
SafeHome zone settings
sensor inquiry User
User
User messages
Interaction
Interaction
panic button User
Function
Function sensor status
activate/deactivate
activate/deactivate
Monitoring
alarm
password, sensors... & Response
alert
Subsystem
System configuration data

Figure 1.14. Sort of the analysis model for SafeHome software


Function-Based Metrics

The data flow diagram is evaluated to determine the key


measure required for computation of the function point
metric:

• number of user inputs


• number of user outputs
• number of user inquiries
• number of files
• number of external interfaces
Function-Based Metrics
Weighting Factor
Inquirement parameter count simple average complex
number of user inputs 3 x 3 4 6 = 9
number of user outputs 2 x 4 5 7 = 8
number of user inquiries 2 x 3 4 6 = 6
number of files 1 x 7 10 15 = 7
number of external interfaces 4 x 5 7 10 = 20

total 50

Figure 1.15. Computing function-points: SafeHome user interaction function


In-process metrics: Quality
 Reliability growth pattern
 Failures during system testing plotted vs. time
– Expected: spikes during each release, decrease over time
– Magnitude of spike related to significance, volume of changes

 Pattern of defects found (arrivals) during testing


– Test defects found plotted vs. time during testing
– Should decrease significantly close to release

 Defect density (can be tracked during development as well)


– Defects per KLOC (can be classified by type, module)
– Post-release defect density (product metric)
Conclusion
 There do exist a number of metrics that can give a meaningful picture
of what is going on in a project

 By designing a metrics program that uses multiple metrics in


conjunction with each other, we can get a balanced picture

 Most of the metrics come from relatively little raw data: size, effort,
defects / failures, timeline data

 There are metrics that can help to identify problems and areas of
improvement, as well as metrics that evaluate results

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