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Short Note on Size-Oriented Metrics

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Size-oriented metrics play a fundamental role in software development by measuring and comparing software project sizes based on various factors. This article explores the concept of size-oriented metrics, their advantages, and disadvantages, and provides an example of how they are applied in software organizations.

What is Size Oriented Metrics?

Size-oriented metrics are derived by normalizing quality and productivity Point Metrics measures by considering the the size of the software that has been produced. The organization builds a simple record of size measure for the software projects. It is built on past experiences of organizations. It is a direct measure of software. This metric measure is one of the simplest and earliest metrics that is used for computer programs to measure size. Size Oriented Metrics are also used for measuring and comparing the productivity of programmers. It is a direct measure of a Software. The size measurement is based on lines of code computation. The lines of code are defined as one line of text in a source file. While counting lines of code, the simplest standard is:

  • Don’t count blank lines
  • Don’t count comments
  • Count everything else
  • The size-oriented measure is not a universally accepted method.

A simple set of size measures that can be developed is given below:

Size = Kilo Lines of Code (KLOC) 
Effort = Person / month
Productivity = KLOC / person-month
Quality = Number of faults / KLOC
Cost = $ / KLOC
Documentation = Pages of documentation / KLOC

Advantages of Size-Oriented Metrics

  • This measure is dependent upon programming language.
  • This method is well designed upon programming language.
  • It does not accommodate non-procedural languages.
  • Sometimes, it is very difficult to estimate LOC in early stage of development.
  • Though it is simple to measure but it is very hard to understand it for users.
  • It cannot measure size of specification as it is defined on code.

Example of Size-Oriented Metrics

For a size oriented metrics, software organization maintains records in tabular form. The typical table entries are: Project Name, LOC, Efforts, Pages of documents, Errors, Defects, Total number of people working on it.

Project Name

LOC

Effort

Cost ($)

Doc. (pages)

Errors

Defects

People

ABC

10, 000

20

170

400

100

12

4

PQR

20, 000

60

300

1000

129

32

6

XYZ

20, 000

65

522

1290

280

87

7

Conclusion

In conclusion, size-oriented measures are a useful tool for making software because they are easy to use, standardised, and can be used to estimate. They do, however, have some problems, such as being dependent on the computer language and possibly having trouble with early-stage estimates. Companies can make better choices and improve their software development processes if they know these measures and how to use them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1: Are size-oriented metrics universally accepted in the software industry?

Answer:

Although size-oriented measures, such as KLOC, are commonly employed, their acceptance is not universal. Based on their unique requirements and development processes, some organisations can select other metrics or customised techniques to monitor software size and productivity.

Q.2: Are there any industry benchmarks available for size-oriented metrics?

Answer:

Indeed, there are industry standards and benchmarks for measurements that are focused on size, such the Function Point Analysis (FPA) approach. By comparing their software development performance to industry standards, organisations may use these benchmarks to pinpoint areas in which they need to improve.


Last Updated : 20 Sep, 2023
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