Software development metrics, a word that is quite in vogue, you might have heard people hurling around such technical terms. But what really is software development metrics and what importance does it hold in the technical realm, let’s find out.
Well, if we try to imbibe into this term, we would come across the word development. So, what is development? Well, it means merely the creation of something. Therefore, software development in layman’s language would definitely be aligned as creating software that you use in your daily life, like Facebook, WhatsApp, or QuickBooks; all of this is developed by people or creators who are behind the desk coding command you order around, these people are known as developers.
This guide helps you understand the different tools, different processes, and various development metrics to help you at every stage with your software development program.
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Software Development Metrics
Now that you are thorough with the concept of software development, let’s slide down to software development metrics.
Whenever something is created, a strikingly similar system is set up to grade or review it. Like when the world came forward with the concept of education, a system of examinations were set up to grade the student’s educational abilities, when job prospects were introduced, a committee was set up to study employee performance, and when the entertainment industry was set up, the concept of critic committee was assembled. Therefore, it is crystal clear that the world had always harbored a sort of grading system for every other development that was ever introduced. Hence, the software industry couldn’t be any different; it too had to go through similar grading norms and consequently be reviewed by a sophisticated system called the software development metrics.
Thus, to design it into an elaborated definition with wreathed technical words around it, it all surmised to be a quantitative measure of software through metric computer systems based on parameters like software quality, software performance, management, and productivity. Unlike standard metric systems, metric software systems have different measuring features, and in this article, we will cover enough points to form a robust edifice regarding your software development metrics.
What Are Metrics For Software Development?
#1. Formal Code Metrics
A form of metrics that monitor lines of codes(LOC), code complexity, and instruction paths. Although these parameters are less likely to be considered to be performance indicators, they definitely create the principal software basics.
#2. Developer Productivity Metrics
Developer productivity metrics are a category of software metrics that monitors the coding efficiency, churn out codes to overview assignment scope, and the number of work activity days. To sum up, this form of metrics indicates a rough estimate of how much effort and time the code developers put in to develop this particular software.
#3. Agile Process Metrics
Agile process metrics fall under that category of software metrics that monitors code leading time, running time, cycle time, and velocity. These measures will aptly estimate the work progress of the software development team and key software quality features.
#4. Operational Metrics
As the name suggests, the operational software metrics is a type of software metrics that measures the operational features of software like Mean Time Between Failures(MTBF) and Mean Time to Recover (MTTR). Therefore, it estimates the operational success of the running software and the quality of maintenance that the software team is holding back.
#5. Test Metrics
Test metrics fall under that category of software metrics that measures comprehensive procedures of the software in the run. It estimates the code quality, the errors in the production value of the software, and automated software versions. In short, this metric system gives adequate information to judge whether the software is running successfully in the market or not.
#6. Customer Satisfaction Metrics
It would be crystal clear with the name that this software metric would judge the software’s performance within customers, it would estimate customer responses through Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Effort Score (CES) and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) and generate reviews. This would let you figure out how the customers and software vendors receive the software.
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What Are The Benefits Of Software Development Metrics?
Well, it wouldn’t be hard to guesstimate the benefits of software development metrics, it certainly is about estimating the software’s performance within customers and with software vendors or loosely in the technical industry. Not only does it provide insights into the current market product, but it also helps software companies to make predictions regarding their unlaunched software. Implementing the techniques of software development metrics could also help to improve processes behind software development.
On a granular level, software development metrics were introduced to achieve the following objectives:
- Increasing revenues in comparison with investments
- Highlight areas of improvement and development
- Cut back manual working hours
- Reducing workloads
- Managing budgets
And fortunately, the software development metric system has successfully achieved these goals. Surprisingly, it has captured goals and hit milestones beyond imaginations. Metrics has now elevated its level to be invoked as an integral component of the IT sector. It has proved to be a necessity for both software developers as well as the software development leading team.
The software development metrics are an entire package of profitable bliss that covers quality assurance, software debugging, software budget costs, and software improvement suggestions into a single metric system. But seldom does it happen that something this good tends to contain zero drawbacks. Because we are all familiar with one basic principle, every coin has two faces and hence here comes one fundamental drawback of the software development metric system:
The Lack Of Clarity
It is very natural to be trapped in a never-ending loop when it comes to severe grading methods. We all know that reviewing something requires a thorough grasp on the subject, and therefore before grading a software, any system would be necessary to assess each line of code thoroughly.
And here’s the first ambiguity that strikes:
- Lines of codes are commonly measured via LOC, but certain people disagree with this evaluation process as it might concern itself with dead codes; hence there come different means to count code lines, which might result in different reviews.
- Not only do methods create confusion, but also, at times, various parameters clash whilst grading, thereby clouding the review system.
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