Software Quality Manager: a knowledge-based management tool of software metrics

The Software Quality Manager (SQM) aims at the construction of a software metrics evaluation environment in which the whole measurement process is performed via an engineering perspective. All the data, information and knowledge required for engineers during the process such as evaluation models and decision supporting knowledge is formally represented and managed to enhance consistency and to reduce misunderstanding. Concurrent measurement and analysis tasks occurring during the process are coordinated in SQM, in order to make the results significant. After defining the software metrics briefly, we present objectives and the three stage structure of SQM in detail. SQM supports qualitative/quantitative measurement techniques and is equipped with knowledge bases for software engineering and application domains. It also utilizes domain knowledge of applications in the form of software components. Finally, we present our ongoing efforts to make the method practical, including construction of two knowledge bases, integration of evaluation techniques, unified calibration units for software metrics, qualitative behavior generation techniques and so on