software metrics

SOFTWARE PROCESS AND PROJECT METRICS

measurement is fundamental to any engineering discipline, and software
engineering is no exception. Measurement enables us to gain
insight by providing a mechanism for objective evaluation. Lord
Kelvin once said:
When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers, you
know something about it; but when you cannot measure, when you cannot express
it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind: it may be the
beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the
stage of a science.
The software engineering community has finally begun to take Lord Kelvin s
words to heart. But not without frustration and more than a little controversy!
Software metrics refers to a broad range of measurements for computer software.
Measurement can be applied to the software process with the intent of
improving it on a continuous basis. Measurement can be used throughout a
software project to assist in estimation, quality control, productivity assessment,
and project control. Finally, measurement can be used by software engineers
to help assess the quality of technical work products and to assist in
tactical decision making as a project proceeds.