Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminars / Tutorials | (up to) 4 workshops |
| Lecture |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | one piece of coursework | 20% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Written Exam | 80% |
| 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:
- 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.
Syllabus
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 List
Recommended ConsultationBarbara Kitchenham (1996) Software metrics: Measurement for Software Process Improvement NCC Blackwell Primo search Norman E. Fenton (2000) Software Metrics: a Rigorous and Practical Approach 2nd Brooks/Cole Publishing Primo search
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7