Software metrics and reliability
C Mingins
6 points * 4 hours per week * First semester * Caulfield
At the completion of this subject students will have gained an understanding of the formal aspects of software measurement sufficient to enable them to evaluate existing software metrics critically; evaluate the suitability of existing metrics for object-oriented requirements; evaluate and construct software reliability models; develop measurement tools which will collect data representing the application of stated design theories to an existing system. Seminar discussion will include the following topics: review of principles of measurement; formal approaches to software measurement; measuring software `quality'; metric validation and verification; data collection; measures in object-oriented systems, complexity measures, reuse metrics, design measurement; stating dependability requirements; measuring the reliability of software. Students will be expected to work in teams to develop a set of metric tools to measure aspects of an object-oriented project development.
Assessment
Classroom participation in the discussion: 25% * Practical assignment: 75%
Prescribed texts
Fenton N E Software metrics. A rigorous approach Chapman and Hall, 1992
Recommended texts
Denvir and others (eds) Formal aspects of measurement Springer-Verlag, 1992
Grady R B and Caswell D L Software metrics: Establishing a company-wide program Prentice-Hall, 1987
Kitchenham and Littlewood (eds) Measurement for software control and assurance Elsevier, 1989
Kyburg H E Theory and measurement CUP, 1984
Musa A I and Okumoto K Software reliability: Measurement, prediction, application McGraw-Hill, 1990