3. GuidanceThis is a key requirement that must be addressed on all NASA software projects. Access needs to be defined up front in the SOW, task agreement, software plans or other assignment paperwork. Special care needs to be used to clearly identify this requirement in the in-house documentation, primary contractor and subcontractor requirements. NASA needs direct insight into software metrics on NASA software projects. Measurement is defined as the process of assigning numerical values to process, product, or project attributes according to defined criteria. The measurement process is based on estimation or direct measurement. Estimation activities result in planned or expected measures. Direct measurement activities result in actual measures. The term "measure" is the result of counting or otherwise quantifying an attribute of a process, project or product. Some examples of measures are size, cost, and defects. The term "metric" is defined as a measurement that provides a basis for making a decision or taking action.  Measurement is a key process area for successful management and is applied to all engineering disciplines. Measurement helps to define and implement more realistic plans, as well as monitor progress against those plans. Measurement data provides objective information that helps project management perform the following. - More accurately plan a project or program that is similar to one that has been completed.
- Identify and correct problems early in the life cycle (more proactive than reactive).
- Assess impact of problems that relate to project or program objectives.
- Make proper decisions that best meet program objectives.
- Defend and justify decisions.
Software metrics are typically used for estimation (i.e., size, effort, and cost), productivity measurements, reliability measurements, quality measurements, and project and task management. A metric quantifies a characteristic of a process or product and defines what is to be measured. They help in managing and controlling software projects and learning more about the way the organization operates and performs. Metrics are also a tool that highlights potential problems or deficiencies in the development process or in the products themselves. They provide quantitative and qualitative measures that help focus management's attention and resources, if necessary, on the prevention and/or correction of problems. The term "indicator" is used to help an organization define and measure progress toward organizational goals. Once an organization has analyzed its mission, identified all its relevant stakeholders, and defined its objectives, it needs a way to measure progress toward those goals. Indicators are those measurements. If data is used to make safety decisions (either by a human or the system), then the data is safety-critical, as is all the software that acquires, processes, and transmits the data. Refer to NASA-STD-8719.13, NASA Software Safety Standard for direction on how to handle safety-critical data. A successful process for measurements is characterized by decision making that regularly includes data analyses results that are based on objective measurement. To ensure successful implementation of a project measurement process the following activities are needed. - Organizational goals/objectives are defined/changed.
- Information needs for the measurement activities are identified and planned.
- An appropriate set of measures driven by organizational objectives are derived.
- Required data is collected, stored, analyzed and reported.
- Indicators are used to provide an objective basis for decision making.
- Measurement processes and measures are tracked and evaluated.
- Improvements and best practices are captured and communicated to determine if modifications to (goals/metrics/strategy) are required.
The figure below describes a typical software metric process flow. The measurement process below is based upon the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). The blue highlighting indicates the planning activities needed when new organizational goals, metrics and/or strategy are indicated.  
Figure 3.1 Software Metric Process Flow WHY WE MEASURE It is often difficult to accurately understand the status of a project or determine how well development processes are working without some measures of current performance and a baseline for comparison purposes. Metrics support better management and control of software projects and work to establish greater insight into the way the organization is operating. There are four major reasons for measuring software processes, products, and resources. They are to Characterize, Evaluate, Predict, and Improve. - Characterizations are performed to gain understanding of processes, products, resources, and environments, and to establish baselines for comparisons with future efforts.
- Evaluation is used to determine status with respect to plans. Measures are the signals that provide knowledge and awareness when projects and processes are drifting off track, so that they are brought back under control. Evaluations are also used to assess achievement of quality goals and to assess impacts of technology and process improvements on products and processes.
- Predictions are made so that planning is performed more proactively. Measuring for prediction involves gaining an understanding of the relationships among processes and products so that the values observed for some attributes are used to predict others. This is accomplished because of a desire to establish achievable goals for cost, schedule, and quality so that appropriate resources are applied and managed. Projections and estimates based on historical data help analyze risks and support design and cost tradeoffs.
- An organization measures to improve when quantitative data and information is gathered to help identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improving product quality and process performance. Measures help to plan and track improvement efforts. Measures of current performance give baselines to compare against, so that an organization can determine if the improvement actions are working as intended. Good measures also help to communicate goals and convey reasons for improving.
Measurement is an important component of any project and product development effort. It is applied to all facets of software development and engineering disciplines. Before a process can be efficiently managed and controlled, it has to be measured. The content of Software Metrics Report, section 5.3.1 of NPR 7150.2, (see SWE-117), is set up as a common approach to collecting and reporting software metrics. It requires that metrics information be reported on a CSCI (Computer Software Configuration Item) basis. All NASA software development follows some level of defined software processes. The reporting processes used in a software development activity can be derived from a set of common processes defined at the Agency level, Center level or organizational level. As a minimum, for which ever processes are used, the following reporting categories shown in SWE-117 are required for summarizing and organizing the minimum information needed: Software progress tracking. Software functionality. Software quality. Software requirements volatility. Software characteristics. The NASA approach to contractor-developed software work products requires that contractor terms and deliverables be explicitly listed in the contract SOW. To be most effective this includes the software metrics list required to effectively manage the insight and oversight activities. This requirement is levied on the contractor as a provision in the software acquisition agreement or contract SOW. Additional guidance related to software measurement determination, collection, analysis, and reporting may be found in the following related requirements in this handbook:
SWE-090 | Measurement Objectives | SWE-091 | Measurement Selection | SWE-092 | Measurement Collection and Storage | SWE-093 | Analysis of Measurement Data | SWE-094 | Reporting of Measurement Analysis | SWE-095 | Directorate Measurement System | SWE-096 | Directorate Measurement Objectives | SWE-117 | Software Metrics Report |
Examples of software metrics 
Table 3.1 Software Metric Examples |