Metrics and measurements in global software development

Maarit Tihinen, Päivi Parviainen, Rob Kommeren, Jim Rotherham

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    Abstract

    Today products are increasingly developed globally in collaboration between subcontractors, third-party suppliers and in-house developers. However, management of a distributed product development project is proven to be more challenging and complicated than traditional single-site development. From the viewpoint of project management, the measurements and metrics are important elements for successful product development. This paper is focused on describing a set of essential metrics that are successfully used in Global Software Development (GSD). In addition, visualised examples are given demonstrating various industrial experiences of use. Even if most of the essential metrics are similar as in single-site development, their collection and interpretation need to take into account the GSD aspects. One of the most important reasons for choosing proposed metrics was their provision of early warning signs - to proactively react to potential issues in the project. This is especially important in distributed projects, where tracking the project status is needed and more complex. In this paper, the first ideas of GSD specific metrics are presented based on the common challenges in GSD practice.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)278-292
    Number of pages15
    JournalInternational Journal on Advances in Software
    Volume5
    Issue number3-4
    Publication statusPublished - 2012
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Metrics and measurements in global software development'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this