Early introduction of software metrics

Most currently used metrics concentrate on the latter stages of development-coding and testing. The author proposes a shift in focus toward using metrics during the high-payoff phases of software development-requirements definition and design. A general methodology that can assist the software manager and developer in creating an effective software metrics program is offered. This will increase understanding and improvement of the software development process at an early stage in the software life cycle. It is noted that early use of software metrics will allow the manager to spend more time on error prevention and less on error correction. This should yield cost and time savings, and an improvement in software product quality