Measuring efficiency

Title: Metrics and Models in Software Quality Engineering Author(s): Stephen H. Kan Publisher: Pearson Education Year: 2003 ISBN: 81-297-0175-8 No of pages: 528 Reviewer: Hitesh Sanghavi

Measurement plays a critical role in effective and efficient software development, as well as provides the scientific basis for software engineering that makes it a true engineering discipline. Stephen Kan’s new edition is comprehensive in scope and with extensive industry examples it shows how to measure software quality and use measurements to improve the software development process. The book focuses on quality planning, process improvement and quality control in process quality management, product engineering (design and code complexity), reliability estimation and projection, and analysis of customer satisfaction data. New chapters bring coverage of critical topics, including in-process metric for software testing; metrics for object-oriented software development; availability metrics; methods for conducting in-process quality assessments and software project assessments; the dos and don’ts of software process improvement, by Patrick O’Toole; Using Function Point Metrics to measure Software Process Improvement, by Capers Jones. In addition to the excellent balance of theory, techniques, and examples, this book is highly instructive and practical, covering one of the most important topics in software development—quality engineering. The common thread underlying these chapters is practical experience with industry projects. The book is intended for use by software quality professionals, project managers, product managers, development managers and software engineers.

Although equations and formulae are involved, the focus is on the understanding and applications of the metrics and models rather than mathematical derivations. The book covers four types of metrics and models—quality management models; software reliability and projection models; complexity metrics and models; customer-view metrics, measurements and models. These metrics and models cover the entire software development process from high-level design to testing and maintenance, as well as all phases of reliability. Although this book is not on total quality management (TQM), it is a major consideration in the coverage of metrics. By linking metrics and models to quality improvement strategies and improvement actions, it attempts to focus on using and not just describing metrics. A framework for interpreting in-process metrics and assessing in-process quality status—the effort/outcome model—is presented. The key feature of this new edition is special contributions from Patrick O’ Toole and Capers Jones, who are pioneers in process improvement and software metrics.