Applied Software Measurement

Applied Software Measurement

Authors: Capers Jones

Published: April 2008

eISBN: 9780071643863 0071643869 | ISBN: 9780071502443

Contents

Foreword

Preface to the Third Edition

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Introduction

Applied Software Measurement

Planning and Estimation

Management and Technical Staffs

Organization Structures

Methodologies and Tools

The Office Environment

Reusability

The Essential Aspects of Applied Software Measurement

What Do Companies Measure?

Benchmarks and Industry Measures

Measurement and the Software Life Cycle

The Structure of a Full Applied Software Measurement System

The Sociology of Software Measurement

The Sociology of Data Confidentiality

The Sociology of Using Data for Staff Performance Targets

The Sociology of Measuring One-Person Projects

The Sociology of MIS vs. Systems Software

The Sociology of Measurement Expertise

Justifying and Building an Applied Software Measurement Function

Applied Software Measurement and Future Progress

Suggested Readings

Additional Readings on Software Measurement and Metrics

Chapter 2. The History and Evolution of Software Metrics

Evolution of the Software Industry and Evolution of Software Measurements

The Cost of Counting Function Point Metrics

The Paradox of Reversed Productivity for High-Level Languages

The Varieties of Functional Metrics Circa 2008

Variations in Application Size and Productivity Rates

Future Technical Developments in Functional Metrics

Summary of and Conclusions About Functional Metrics

Software Measures and Metrics Not Based on Function Points

Suggested Readings on Measures and Metrics

Chapter 3. United States Averages for Software Productivity and Quality

Sources of Possible Errors in the Data

Significant Software Technology Changes Between 1990 and 2008

Changes in the Structure, Format, and Contents of the Third Edition

Variations in Software Development Practices Among Seven Sub-Industries

Ranges, Averages, and Variances in Software Productivity

The Impact of Technology on Software Productivity and Quality Levels

Technology Warnings and Counterindications

Using Function Point Metrics to Set “Best in Class” Targets

Chapter 4. The Mechanics of Measurement: Building a Baseline

Software Assessments

Software Baselines

Software Benchmarks

What a Baseline Analysis Covers

Developing or Acquiring a Baseline Data Collection Instrument

Administering the Data Collection Questionnaire

Analysis and Aggregation of the Baseline Data

Suggested Readings

Additional Readings

Chapter 5. Measuring Software Quality and User Satisfaction

New Quality Information Since the Earlier Editions

Quality Control and International Competition

Defining Quality for Measurement and Estimation

Five Steps to Software Quality Control

Software Quality Control in the United States

Measuring Software Defect Removal

Measuring Defect Removal Efficiency

Finding and Eliminating Error-Prone Modules

Using Metrics to Evaluate Test-Case Coverage

Using Metrics for Reliability Prediction

Measuring the Costs of Defect Removal

Evaluating Defect Prevention Methods

Measuring Customer-Reported Defects

Measuring Invalid Defects, Duplicate Defects, and Special Cases

Measuring User Satisfaction

Combining User Satisfaction and Defect Data

Summary and Conclusions

Reading List

Suggested Readings

Additional References on Software Quality and Quality Measurements

Chapter 6. Measurements, Metrics, and Industry Leadership

What Do Companies Measure?

Measures and Metrics of Industry Leaders

Measures, Metrics, and Innovation

Measurements, Metrics, and Outsource Litigation

Measurements, Metrics, and Behavioral Changes

Topics Outside the Scope of Current Measurements

Cautions Against Simplistic and Hazardous Measures and Metrics

Commercial Software Measurement Tools

Summary and Conclusions

Suggested Readings on Measurement and Metrics

Chapter 7. Summary of Problems in Software Measurement

Synthetic vs. Natural Metrics

Ambiguity in Defining the Nature, Scope, Class, and Type of Software

Ambiguity in Defining and Measuring the Activities and Tasks of Software Projects

False Advertising and Fraudulent Productivity Claims

The Absence of Project Demographic and Occupation Group Measurement

Ambiguity in the Span of Control and Organizational Measurements

The Missing Link of Measurement: When Do Projects Start?

Ambiguity in Measuring Milestones, Schedules, Overlap, and Schedule Slippage

Problems with Overlapping Activities

Leakage from Software Project Resource Tracking Data

Ambiguity in Standard Time Metrics

Inadequate Undergraduate and Graduate Training in Software Measurement and Metrics

Inadequate Standards for Software Measurement

Lack of Standardization of “Lines of Source Code” Metrics

The Hazards and Problems of Ratios and Percentages

Ambiguity in Measuring Development or Delivery Productivity

Ambiguity in Measuring Complexity

Ambiguity in Functional Metrics

Ambiguity in Quality Metrics

Ambiguity with the Defects per KLOC Metric

Ambiguity with the Cost per Defect Metric

Failure to Measure Defect Potentials and Defect Removal Efficiency

The Problems of Measuring the Impact of “Soft” Factors

Problems in Measuring Software Value

Lack of Effective Measurement and Metrics Automation

Social and Political Resistance to Software Measurements

Ambiguity in Software Measurement and Metrics Terminology

Failure to Use Metrics for Establishing Goals and Targets

Summary and Conclusions

Suggested Readings

Additional References on Software Measurements

Appendix. Rules for Counting Procedural Source Code

Project Source Code Counting Rules

General Rules for Counting Code Within Applications

Examples of the SPR Source Code Counting Rules

Software Productivity Research COBOL-Counting Rules

Index