In simple terms, it means the methods to measure the software characteristics which can be countable. countable. Software metrics are important for many reasons. While the software development process is in progress, there are many metrics related to the main functions of management namely Planning, Organizing, Controlling./
Why is it important? Well, because it is to identify the quality of the current process, implement any improvements measures if required and also beneficial in terms of predicting the quality of the software once the development phase is complete. It enables the project leads and managers to assess the impact of decisions made during the development phase of the projects and accordingly prioritize objectives and goals. But it is not just meant for the team managers but for the team itself. The team that works to get better and understand the metrics, master their craft and deliver the best.
So what are these metrics to make software development right? Let’s explore
Since it’s about measuring something which is intangible, there are four aspects of software quality which are Reliability, Performance, Security, and Maintainability. Now, let’s move to some of the metrics which are:
Cycle Time: The amount of time it takes from being an idea to a complete finished product. This should be measured in each step during the phase to get the accurate time in place. This also helps in identifying certain bottlenecks and problem areas well in time for ensuring a viable solution is developed.
Team Velocity: It is measuring team efficiency in terms of the value they are providing to customers at a given point of time. It is the measure quantifying the number and size of product features completed and delivered by a team.
Release Burndown: To help understand how development is progressing, how much functionality is yet to be done and when is it expected to be completed, all this during an entire software release.
Defects: Checking and identifying the issues or bugs during the production phase. If it’s on the decline, that is a good indication of the quality as perceived by the end user and but if it’s on the rise, then the process needs to be redesigned or re-structured in a different way.
And that’s how it is done. Introducing and implementing a continuous delivery practice is important but then there had to be certain metrics in place to measure them too. This is to ensure that the software performs to its best and delivers an awesome experience to the end users.
