Making Software Metrics Useful

Abstract

Most engineers use measurements to make decisions. However, measurements are rarely used for decisions about constructing software products. While many approaches to measuring attributes of software (``metrics'') have been developed, they are rarely used to answer useful questions such as ``Do I need to refactor this class?'' or ``Are these integration tests sufficient?'' Practitioners therefore question the value of software metrics. We argue that this situation arose because software metrics were developed without understanding metrology (the science of measurement) and suggest directions software metrics research should take.