Metrics for Software Testing: Managing with Facts

Part 3: Project Metrics

Introduction

In the previous article in this series, we moved from general observations about metrics to a specific discussion about how metrics can help you manage processes. We talked about the use of metrics to understand and improve test and development process capability with facts. We covered the proper development of process metrics, starting with objectives for the metrics and ultimately setting industry-based goals for those metrics. We looked at how to recognize a good set of process metrics, and trade-offs for those metrics.

In this and the next article in the series, we'll look at two more specific types of metrics.  In this article, we turn from process to project metrics.  Project metrics can help us understand our status in terms of the progress of testing and quality on a project.  Understanding current project status is a pre-requisite to rational, fact-driven project management decisions.  In this article, you'll learn how to develop, understand, and respond to good project metrics.

The Uses of Process Metrics

As I wrote above, project metrics help us understand progress in terms of project objectives.  Project metrics provide a means of measuring where we stand on the project and how close we are to achieving project objectives.  They give the project team insights that can help them guide the project toward these objectives if current status and trends indicate that the project team might not achieve these objectives within project constraints.  (Typical constraints include schedule, cost, and features to be delivered).  As mentioned in the first article in this series, we can talk about metrics as relevant to effectiveness, efficiency, and elegance.

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