Index of SMS Services

"Measure twice - cut once"

In all aspects of software development and maintenance, measurement and analysis should be applied to focus money and resources on delivering optimum value to the business user and end customer.

Without an informed and objective view of current performance levels, there is a significant danger that short-term cost-cutting can lead to increased overall costs. It can also compromise the capability - and in worst case, even the viability - of the organisational supply chain.

The cost of getting early expert advice is negligable in relation to the savings to be made. The cost of failing to take the right action at the right time can be catastrophic.

Focus on value pulls quality and cost

All the evidence from high performing organisations shows that focusing on the desired outcome pulls through reduced costs, higher quality and better predictability. Objective analysis of current performance levels reveals the opportunities for improvement. Getting this analysis right first time by using industry experts saves time, money and wasted effort.

Measurement programmes should be focussed on the critical concerns of the business. For measurement to add value to the process of software development and/or maintenance, the goals of the measurement programme must be:

• specific
• clearly defined
• measurable
• reflect the business objectives.

The first consideration in the measurement process is to define the actual measures in numerical terms to be used. This is logically followed by measurement, data collection, validation, collation and usage, finishing with analysis and reporting.