Application of Process Metrics for Software Testing: A Case Study

Abstract

In-process tracking and measurements play a critical role in software development, particularly for software testing. The in-process data and reports focus on design review and code inspection data, including testing data. These in-process metrics are effective for managing software testing and the in-process quality status of the project. These metrics have been used in the IBM Rochester software development laboratory and have been the main differentiator between other software testing metrics which lack usefulness and real-world industry implementation. In this study, three in-process metrics are applied to a small security application project within a private company which underwent a team resource change during the lifetime of the project. It was obtained great insight with the progress comparison between the changes occurring in the project and after its completion. This turned out to be an excellent proof of concept for applying this type of metrics in such challenging environments. Additionally, some recommendations based on the results are proposed for other organizations to encourage the application of these metrics within their projects.