Data and metric types

In Software Quality Assurance, data and metrics are used to measure and evaluate various aspects of software development processes and products.

Data refers to raw information collected through various sources, such as tools, surveys, and observations. Metrics, on the other hand, are derived from data and represent quantitative or qualitative measures used to assess software quality, performance, and other aspects.

There are various types of data and metrics used in SQA, including:

Product metrics: used to assess the quality and characteristics of software products, such as size, complexity, and defect density.

Process metrics: used to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of software development processes, such as cycle time, lead time, and defect removal efficiency.

Project metrics: used to monitor and control software development projects, such as schedule variance, effort variance, and cost variance.

People metrics: used to assess the skills and productivity of software development team members, such as defect injection rate and defect removal rate.

To develop effective metrics, SQA professionals need to understand the concepts and principles of metrics development and use appropriate data collection and analysis techniques. Additionally, metrics should be relevant, reliable, and actionable to support decision-making and continuous improvement efforts.