What Software Measurement Can Learn from Classical Measurement and Measurement Theory

摘要

Though software measurement is relatively new - seriously beginning in the 1970s, measurement is well developed in many disciplines, and measurement theory is itself a well developed discipline. Probably because software engineering has developed so very quickly and because managers understand the value of measurement, the field of software measurement has exploded in the last three decades. However, as can be expected in an explosion, the development of software measurement has not always progressed in the most productive manner. In this paper, we look at classical measurement and measurement theory to see some ways for possibly improving software measurement. We believe there are, at least, four things that we can borrow from measurement and measurement theory to improve software measurement. These are the transition from quality to quantity, the importance and need for theories for software metrics, a system of units for software metrics, and the standardization of software metrics and software measurement practices.