Successfully applying software metrics

The word success is very powerful. It creates strong, but widely varied, images that may range from the final seconds of an athletic contest to a graduation ceremony to the loss of 10 pounds. Success makes us feel good; it´s cause for celebration. All these examples of success are marked by a measurable end point, whether externally or self-created. Most of us who create software approach projects with some similar idea of success. Our feelings from project start to end are often strongly influenced by whether we spent any early time describing this success and how we might measure progress. Software metrics measure specific attributes of a software product or a software development process. In other words, they are measures of success. It´s convenient to group the ways that we apply metrics to measure success into four areas. What do you need to measure and analyze to make your project a success? We show examples from many projects and Hewlett Packard divisions which may help you chart your course.<>