Proposed Concepts for a Tool for Multidimensional Performance Modeling in Software Engineering Management

A major difficulty with current organizational performance models in software engineering management is to represent many possible viewpoints quantitatively and in a consolidated manner, while at the same time keeping track of the values of the individual dimensions of performance. The models currently proposed do not meet the analytical requirements of software engineering management when various viewpoints must be taken into account concurrently. This paper presents a selection of multidimensional models of performance in software engineering and in management. It then describes the proposed concepts for a tool for multidimensional performance modeling in software engineering management. The tool would adopt an organizational framework of performance and build upon an open, generic and geometrical approach to performance modeling called QEST. It would also enable the user to select different visualization techniques to analyze data. In addition, the proposed tool would allow the user to iteratively define, collect and analyze multidimensional measures at each life cycle phase, and even enter potential results for subsequent phases. The initial test bed of the proposed tool would be the repository of project data of the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group (ISBSG)