computer science

Software measurement

Software measurement is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Software measurement rather than just read about it. In short: Software measurement is a quantified attribute (see also: measurement) of a characteristic of a software product or the software process. It is a discipline within software engineering.

Key takeaways

Software measurement belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Software measurement to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Software measurement from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Software measurement is a quantified attribute (see also: measurement) of a characteristic of a software product or the software process. It is a discipline within software engineering. The process of software measurement is defined and governed by ISO Standard ISO 15939 (software measurement process).

Software metrics

Software size, functional measurement The primary measurement of software is size, specifically functional size. The generic principles of functional size are described in the ISO/IEC 14143. Software size is principally measured in function points. It can also be measured in lines of code, or specifically, source lines of code (SLOC) which is functional code excluding comments. Whilst measuring SLOC is interesting, it is more an indication of effort than functionality. Two developers could approach a functional challenge using different techniques, and one might need only write a few lines of code, and the other might need to write many times more lines to achieve the same functionality. The most reliable method for measuring software size is code agnostic, from the user's point of view - in function points.

Measuring code One method of software measurement is metrics that are analyzed against the code itself. These are called software metrics and including simple metrics, such as counting the number of lines in a single file, the number of files in an application, the number of functions in a file, etc. Such measurements have become a common software development practice. However, some researchers note that widely used metrics are often not applied to support development decision-making.

Measuring software complexity, cohesion and coupling There are also more detailed metrics that help measure things like software complexity, Halstead, cohesion, and coupling.

See also History of software engineering Software engineer Software metrics Function point COSMIC functional size measurement

References

Further reading Norman Fenton, Shari L Pfleeger: Software metrics: a rigorous and practical approach PWS Publishing Co. Boston, MA, USA 1997, ISBN 0-534-95600-9 Christof Ebert and Reiner Dumke: Software Measurement Springer, New York 2007, ISBN 978-3-540-71648-8 Zádor Dániel Kelemen, Gábor Bényasz and Zoltán Badinka: A measurement based software quality framework ThyssenKrupp Presta, Budapest 2014, Technical Report No: TKPH-QDTR-201401.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Software measurement

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Software measurement claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Software measurement before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Software measurement ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Software measurement

In research: Software measurement appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Software measurement in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Software measurement is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Software engineering stubs, Software metrics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Software measurement outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Software measurement in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Software measurement means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Software measurement out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Software measurement in simple terms?

Software measurement is a quantified attribute (see also: measurement) of a characteristic of a software product or the software process. It is a discipline within software engineering.

Why does Software measurement matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Software measurement?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Software measurement.