A PRACTICAL VIEW OF SOFTWARE MEASUREMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION EXPERIENCES WITHIN MOTOROLA

The purpose of this paper is to describe a practical view of software measurement that formed the basis for a company-wide software metrics initiative within Motorola. A multi-dimensional view of measurement is provided by identifying different dimensions (e.g., metric usefulness/utility, metric types or categories, metric audiences, etc.) that were considered in this company-wide metrics implementation process. The definitions of the common set of Motorola software metrics, as well as the charts used for presenting these metrics, are included. The metrics were derived using the Goal/Question/Metric approach to measurement. The paper distinguishes between the use of metrics for process improvement over time across projects and the use of metrics for in-process project control. Important experiences in implementing the software metrics initiative within Motorola are also included.