A Survey of Metrics Use in Finnish Software Companies

This study looks at software measurement practices and experiences related to software engineering in Finland. This paper uses the results of an empirical case study to examine how measurement was implemented in practice from the perspective of the software process. The research was motivated by the challenges recognized in the implementation and execution of measurement in software development work. The empirical results presented and also analyzed in this paper were captured by interviews and questionnaires during a research project (Software Measurement - SoMe) carried out in Finland. The project focused on clarifying and identifying the current software process and product metrics used and their utilization in Finnish software companies. The results of the case study show how the measurement was targeted and emphasized in the software process. The paper points out the key issues that arose when the empirical results were compared to the existing theoretical knowledge on measurement in software engineering.