Module Identifier | CS43510 | ||
Module Title | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING | ||
Academic Year | 2000/2001 | ||
Co-ordinator | Dr Mark Ratcliffe | ||
Semester | Semester 1 | ||
Pre-Requisite | MA24010 | ||
Course delivery | Lecture | 20 Lectures | |
Seminars / Tutorials | (Up to) 4 workshops | ||
Assessment | Exam | 2 Hours | 80% |
Course work | One piece | 20% | |
Supplementary examination | Will take the same form, under the terms of the Department's policy. |
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should:
Syllabus
MEASUREMENT THEORY - 2 Lectures
SIZE AND COMPLEXITY METRICS - 4 Lectures
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS - 4 Lectures
DEFECT PREVENTION AND PREDICTION - 3 Lectures
OPTIMISING THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS - 2 Lectures
PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS - 3 Lectures
PERFORMANCE MODELLING - 2 Lectures
General description
"If you can't measure it you can't manage it." This statement, while not universally true, has become a cliche in modern management. It is certainly true that our inability to manage many characteristics of software systems leads to great difficulty in managing them. This module introduces the basic ideas of measurement theory and describes the different approaches that have been tried in attempts to measure the characteristics of software systems. The way that these approaches have been used in practice and their limitations are also discussed.
Aims
To introduce students to the best industrial practice in the use of quantitative methods both in the development and in the operation of computer systems and to demonstrate the inadequacy of the current state of the art.
Reading Lists
Books
** Recommended Consultation
Norman E. Fenton and Shri Lawrence Pfleeger. (1996)
Software Metrics: a Rigorous and Practical Approach. 2nd. International Thomson
Barbara Kitchenham. (1996)
Software metrics: Measurement for Software Process Improvement. NCC Blackwell