Metrics

Why collect software metrics?

Metrics help the ESMF team and stakeholders tell where the project is succeeding, and where it is having trouble. In the ESMF project, we collect development metrics, adoption metrics, and other indicators of project health, such as number of number of feature requests and number of mailing list subscribers.

Metrics are often rough indicators at best. However, we agree with Gilb, in DeMarco and Lister (1985):

The measurement may not be perfectly precise; it may be difficult to make; it may need to be refined over time; but any measurement gives you a handle on your software development process that you don't have without it.