Software Project Management With Usage of Metrics

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Software Project Management With Usage of Metrics

• Candas BOZKURT - Tekin MENTES
• Delta Aerospace
• May 21, 2004

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In this presentation . . .

• The importance of Metrics
• SPM and Usage of Metrics
• Problems in SPM
• Solution by using Metrics effectively
• Difficulties in collecting Metrics
• Automated Metrics Collection Tool
• Conclusion

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Measurement

• Measurement process by which numbers or symbols
  are assigned to attributes of entities in the
  real world in such a way as to describe them
  according to clearly defined rules
• What is not measurable make measurable, Galileo
  Galilei
• You cannot control what you cannot measure, De
  Marco

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Role of Measurement
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Objectives of Software Measurement ?

• To collect objective information about the
  current state of a software product, project, or
  process.
• To allow managers and practitioners to make
  timely, data-driven decisions.
• To track your organization's progress toward its
  improvement goals.
• To assess the impact of process changes.

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Measurement Program
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Metrics

• Metrics Quantitative measurement
• Important to the success of a project
• Project Metrics Used to track project progress

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What are Software Metrics?
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Software Metrics

• Components of Software Measurement
• Process Metrics (e.g. Time, Effort, Cost)
• Product Metrics (e.g. Size, Reliability)
• Resource Metrics (e.g. Price, Experience)
• Goal Question Metric (GQM) Approach ?Metrics
  Methodology / Framework

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Difficulties When Using Metrics

• Lack of Management Commitment
• Measuring Too Much, Too Soon
• Measuring Too Little, Too Late
• Measuring the Wrong Things
• Imprecise Metrics Definitions
• Using Metrics Data to Evaluate Individuals
• Using Metrics to Motivate, Rather than to
  Understand
• Collecting Data That Is Not Used
• Lack of Communication and Training
• Misinterpreting Metrics Data
• If you are miles away from your target
• it doesnt make sense to measure in
  millimeters.

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DONT
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Software Project Management Problems

• Projects without clear goals will not achieve
  their goals clearly, Tom Gilb
• Management of the software development, or namely
  Software project planning, monitoring and
  control

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Solution Usage of Metrics to Manage Software
Projects

• Use metrics in managing software project
  management by directly forming, updating and
  monitoring
• software project planning,
• schedule,
• task assignment,
• resource management and
• software development processes

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Impact on Quality

• A quantitatively managed process is a defined
  (capability level 3) process that is controlled
  using statistical and other quantitative
  techniques,
• Quantitative objectives for quality and process
  performance are established and used as criteria
  in managing the process,
• The quality and process performance are
  understood in statistical terms and are managed
  throughout the life of the process

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Then, How to use Metrics?

• Project Management metrics collected should be
  used to support four functions of management
• Planning,
• Organizing,
• Controlling and
• Monitoring

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Measurement Tailoring
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Usage of Metrics

• Mainly four groups of Usable Data will be
  produced from the metrics, aiming
• Collection of objective information about the
  current state of a software product, project, or
  process
• Managers and practitioners to make timely,
  data-driven decisions
• Tracking the project's progress toward schedule
• Assessing the impact of process changes

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Metrics Program
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Which of the Metrics Needed?

• Schedule performance (milestones, variances)
• Cost performance (actual vs. planned variances)
• Effort performance (actual vs. planned
  allocations)
• Requirements management (total, growth,
  traceability)

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Which of the Metrics Needed? continuing

• Program size (SLOC, page counts - planned vs.
  actual)
• Test performance (requirements tested, passed
  test)
• Quality - Defect data status (problems open,
  closed, density, origin, SPRs etc.)

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Which of the Metrics Needed? continuing

• Process performance (tasks completed, action
  items)
• Computer resource utilization (memory loading,
  CPU loading)
• Management planning performance (estimates vs.
  actual, re-planning etc.)

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How to Collect Metrics?

• Metrics Database
• Collect Metrics mainly from
• Project Manager
• Development Team
• Testing Team
• Quality Team
• Help Desk

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Advantages of Using Metrics

• Organizational software process and quality
  improvement,
• Achieve Quantitatively Managed Software
  processes to be used in the company ? CMMI Level
  4 Process Areas
• Monitoring and controlling of the software
  development schedule, life cycle activities and
  the resulting risks

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Earned Value Example (Usage of Metrics)
Projected actual end cost
CONTRACT BUDGET BASE
NOW

Actual cost of work performed

Planned cost of work scheduled
COST VARIANCE

SCHEDULE VARIANCE
Planned cost of work performed
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30 ..... end of project
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TRR
CDR
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Future Improvements

• Improving Automated Metrics Collection Tool
• Use Metrics in Decision Support Systems
• Make Metrics directly affect the Project Plan.

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Why Use a Tool ?

• Efficient and Accurate Data Collection
• Real Time Decision Support
• Data Security and Privacy
• Effective Reporting

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Use Automated Software Metrics Collection Tool

• Usage of a distributed software project
  management tool that supports
• organizational level planning,
• task assignment (including predecessor and
  successor task assignments),
• time and resource Management,
• visual schedule preparation (Gantt Chart),
• metrics collection and analysis, and
• most importantly matching of the metrics data
  with the project schedule and task assignment
  modules

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EXAMPLE TOOLS

• PACE by Milsoft
• PROMACS by Delta Software Group
• MS Project
• SureTrack

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Tool Expectations

• Metric collection tool should be integrated with
  Project Schedule
• should force to gather accurate data (Smart Tools
  can be used)
• should produce effective reports for decision
  making
• Should produce suggestions in some points
• Usage of Historical data

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Conclusion

• To survive a software development organisation
  must make accurate cost estimates and improve
  productivity and quality.
• If you do not know where you are now you
  certainly won't know where you will be in the
  future.
• To achieve accurate measurements of productivity
  and quality requires automated metrics collection
  and analysis.
• In order to characterize, evaluate, predict and
  improve the process and product a metric baseline
  is essential.

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Q A

• Questions and Answers
• Are there any parts that needs to be clarified?
• Are there any questions regarding the concepts
  talked about?
• Are there any suggestions to improve this
  presentation?

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Thank Your for Your Attendance
The End