Software Engineering Institute

This report presents guidelines for establishing a measurement process as part of an organization's overall software process. Methods are suggested that can be used to design a repeatable measurement process that is focused on goal setting, data analysis, and decision making rather than on just data collection and numbers. Examples are included to illustrate these methods in the context of some common software process management issues involving basic measures of size, effort, and schedule. This report also suggests some steps for starting a measurement program. These steps focus on identifying an organizational strategy for improvement and designing a process for measurement to support this strategy.