Module Identifier CHM3510  
Module Title QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING  
Academic Year 2007/2008  
Co-ordinator Dr Edel M Sherratt  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Mr David J Smith, Dr Edel M Sherratt, Dr Lynda A Thomas  
Pre-Requisite Available only to students taking the Diploma/MSc in Internet and Distributed Systems (Advanced) scheme.  
Course delivery Lecture   20 lectures  
  Seminars / Tutorials    
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours  80%
Semester Assessment One piece of coursework  20%
Supplementary Exam Will take the same form, under the terms of the department's policy  100%

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
know enough measurement theory to understand the properties that any useful software metric must have.

be familiar with the commonly used software metrics, be able to determine them in simple cases, and understand their limitations.

understand the principles of statistical process control and be able to apply them to the process of software development.

be familiar with the principles used in performance prediction and measurement and able to apply them in simple cases.

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.

Brief 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.

Content

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

Module Skills

Problem solving Design of appropriate software metrics entails solving combinations of both qualitative and quantitative problems.  
Research skills On element of this module specifically focuses on experimental design.  
Communication Written communication is essential to demonstrating knowledge of this field.  
Information Technology Software metrics is fundamental to evaluation of IT systems.  
Application of Number A deep understanding of measurement scales together with a basic udnerstanding of statistical process control is included in this module.  
Subject Specific Skills Quantitative methods are central to Software Engineering.  

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7