3 A goal-based framework for software measurement

3.2 Determining what to measure, cont.

Measurement is useful for:

• understanding
• establishing a baseline
• assessing and predicting

but is only useful in a larger context of assessment and improvement. You can measure only what is visible and what is visible depends on the maturity of the development or maintenance process.

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has suggested that there are five maturity levels for an organization ranging from (see Fig. 3.3 and Table 3.4)

1. ad hoc: baseline measurements to give starting point for measuring future improvement
2. repeatable: project management measurements
3. defined: measurement of product attributes
4. managed: measurement of effectiveness of processes
5. optimizing: measurements acts as sensors and monitors for your SE processes

   In using GQM yu must know your maturity level because this will determine which measurements are possible.

   GQM has helped us to understand why we measure an attribute, and process maturity suggests whether we are capable of measuring it in a meaningful way. Together, they provide a context for measurement.

   There are tools that assist managers in designing measurement programs. One such is the ami  handbook and tool that suggest the use of both GQM and process maturity. The ami  project was funded by EC under its ESPRIT program.