Artifact: Measurement Plan

Purpose

The software measurement plan specifies which primitive metrics should be collected and which metrics should be computed during the project to monitor progress, relative to a set of specified project goals (see Concepts: Metrics). It is used to collect information on the project as input to the periodic Status Assessment (see Artifact: Status Assessment).

Brief outline

1. Objectives

A brief description of the purpose of the Measurement Plan.

2. Scope

A brief description of what the Measurement Plan applies to; what is affected or influenced by this document.

3. References

A list of related or referenced documents.

4. Management goals and subgoals

State what are the goals of the measurement program relative to the project, in terms of achievement, improvement, and quality.

5. Metrics

Enumerate the metrics that are to be synthesized at regular intervals on the project to support the goals.

Template for a metric:

Name	Name of the metric and any known synonyms
Definition	The attributes of the entities that are measured using this metric, how the metric is calculated, and which primitive metrics it is calculated from.
Goals	list of goals and questions related to this metric. Also some explanation as to why the metric is being collected.
Analysis procedure	How the metric is intended to be used. Preconditions for the interpretation of the metric (e.g., valid range of other metrics). Target values or trends. Models of analysis techniques and tools to be used. Implicit assumptions (e.g., of the environment or models). Calibration procedures. Storage.
Responsibilities	Who will collect and aggregate measurement data, prepare the reports and analyze the data.

6. Primitive metrics

Enumerate the primitive metrics that are collected, automatically or manually, to compute the metrics.

Template for a Primitive Metric:

Name	Name of the primitive metric
Definition	Unambiguous description of the metric in terms of the project’s environment
Collection procedure	Description of the collection procedure. Data collection tool and form to be used. Points in the lifecycle when data are collected. Verification procedure to be used. Where will the data be stored, format, precision.
Responsibilities	Who is responsible for collecting the data. For verifying the data.

7. Annexes

Computation methods, tables for estimates, detailed procedures, as appropriate.

Timing

The measurement plan is done once per development cycle, in the inception phase, as part of the general planning activity, or sometimes as part of the configuration of the process in the development case. The measurement plan may be revisited like any other section of the software development plan during the course of the project.

Responsibility

The Worker: Project  Manager is responsible for the integrity of the measurement plan, ensuring that:

• the goals are relevant to the project.
• the primitive metrics can all be collected at minimal overhead, and if possible using tools.

The Measurement Plan is a part of the more general Artifact: Software Development Plan.