ISO/IEC 15939:2002

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 15939
First edition
2002-07-15
Software engineering — Software
measurement process
Ingénierie du logiciel — Méthode de mesure des logiciels

Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2002
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ii © ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword.iv
Introduction.v
1 Scope .1
1.1 Purpose.1
1.2 Field of application.1
1.3 Tailoring this International Standard.1
1.4 Conformance.1
1.5 Limitations.2
2 Normative reference.2
3 Terms and definitions .2
4 Application of this International Standard.7
4.1 Purpose and outcomes of the software measurement process.7
4.2 Overview of this International Standard.7
4.3 Organisation of this International Standard .10
5 Description of the activities.11
5.1 Establish and sustain measurement commitment.11
5.2 Plan the measurement process .12
5.3 Perform the measurement process .15
5.4 Evaluate measurement.17
Annex A (informative) The measurement information model.19
Annex B (informative) Measurement process work products.27
Annex C (informative) Example criteria for selecting measures.29
Annex D (informative) Example criteria for evaluating an information product.31
Annex E (informative) Example criteria for evaluating the performance of the measurement process.34
Annex F (informative) Example elements of measurement planning.35
Annex G (informative) Guidelines for reporting information products .36
Bibliography.37

© ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission)
form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC
participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established by the
respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical committees
collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in
liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have
established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 3.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as an International
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this International Standard may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC 15939 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee
SC 7, Software and system engineering.
Annexes A to G of this International Standard are for information only.
iv © ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Software measurement supports the management and improvement of software processes and products.
Measurement is a primary tool for managing software life cycle activities, assessing the feasibility of project plans,
and monitoring the adherence of project activities to those plans. Software measurement is also a key discipline in
evaluating the quality of software products and the capability of organisational software processes. It is becoming
increasingly important in two party business agreements, where it provides a basis for specification, management,
and acceptance criteria.
Continual improvement requires change within the organisation. Evaluation of change requires measurement.
Measurement itself does not initiate change. Measurement should lead to action, and not be employed purely to
accumulate data. Measurements should have a clearly defined purpose.
This International Standard defines a software measurement process applicable to all software-related engineering
and management disciplines. The process is described through a model that defines the activities of the
measurement process that are required to adequately specify what measurement information is required, how the
measures and analysis results are to be applied, and how to determine if the analysis results are valid. The
software measurement process is flexible, tailorable, and adaptable to the needs of different users.

© ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 15939:2002(E)

Software engineering — Software measurement process
1 Scope
1.1 Purpose
This International Standard identifies the activities and tasks that are necessary to successfully identify, define,
select, apply, and improve software measurement within an overall project or organisational measurement
structure. It also provides definitions for measurement terms commonly used within the software industry.
This International Standard does not catalogue software measures, nor does it provide a recommended set of
measures to apply on software projects. It does identify a process that supports defining a suitable set of measures
that address specific information needs.
1.2 Field of application
This International Standard is intended to be used by software suppliers and acquirers. Software suppliers include
personnel performing management, technical, and quality management functions in software development,
maintenance, integration, and product support organisations. Software acquirers include personnel performing
management, technical, and quality management functions in software procurement and user organisations.
The following are examples of how this International Standard can be used:
• By a supplier to implement a software measurement process to address specific project or organisational
information requirements.
• By an acquirer (or third-party agents) for evaluating conformance of the supplier’s software measurement
process to this International Standard.
• By an acquirer (or third-party agents) to implement a software measurement process to address specific
technical and project management information requirements related to the acquisition.
• In a contract between an acquirer and a supplier as a method for defining the software process and product
measurement information to be exchanged.
1.3 Tailoring this International Standard
This International Standard contains a set of activities and tasks that comprise a software measurement process
that meets the specific needs of software organisations and projects. The tailoring process consists of modifying
the non-normative descriptions of the tasks to achieve the purpose and outcomes of the software measurement
process. All normative clauses shall be satisfied. New activities and tasks not defined in this International Standard
may be added as part of tailoring.
1.4 Conformance
Conformance to this International Standard is defined as satisfying the purpose and outcomes of the measurement
process and all of the normative clauses within the tasks in Clause 5. Any organisation imposing this International
Standard as a condition of trade is responsible for specifying and making public all task-specific criteria to be
imposed in conjunction with this International Standard.
© ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved 1

Throughout this International Standard, “shall” is used to express a provision that is binding on the party that is
applying this International Standard, “should” to express a recommendation among other possibilities, and “may” to
indicate a course of action permissible within the limits of the International Standard.
It is the responsibility of the organisation to maintain appropriate evidence of satisfaction of the normative clauses
for purposes of demonstrating conformance.
1.5 Limitations
This International Standard does not assume or prescribe an organisational model for measurement. The user of
this International Standard should decide, for example, whether a separate measurement function is necessary
within the organisation, whether the measurement function should be integrated within individual software projects,
or across projects, based on the current organisational structure, culture, and prevailing constraints.
This International Standard is not intended to prescribe the name, format, or explicit content of the documentation
to be produced. The International Standard does not imply that documents be packaged, or combined in some
fashion. These decisions are left to the user of the International Standard.
The measurement process should be appropriately integrated with the organisational quality system. Not all
aspects of internal audits and non-compliance reporting are covered explicitly in this International Standard, as they
are assumed to be in the domain of the quality system.
This International Standard is not intended to conflict with any organisational policies, standards, or procedures that
are already in place. However, any conflict should be resolved and any overriding conditions and situations need to
be cited in writing as exceptions to the application of the International Standard.
2 Normative reference
The following normative document contains provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of
this International Standard. For dated references, subsequent amendments to, or revisions of, any of these
publications do not apply. However, parties to agreements based on this International Standard are encouraged to
investigate the possibility of applying the most recent edition of the normative document indicated below. For
undated references, the latest edition of the normative document referred to applies. Members of ISO and IEC
maintain registers of currently valid International Standards.
ISO, International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, 1993
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this International Standard, the following terms and definitions apply within the context of
software measurement.
3.1
acquirer
individual or organisation that procures a system, software product, or software service from a supplier
NOTE Based on the definition in [ISO/IEC 12207:1995].
3.2
attribute
property or characteristic of an entity that can be distinguished quantitatively or qualitatively by human or
automated means
2 © ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved

3.3
base measure
measure defined in terms of an attribute and the method for quantifying it
NOTE 1 A base measure is functionally independent of other measures.
NOTE 2 Based on the definition in [International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, 1993].
3.4
data
collection of values assigned to base measures, derived measures, and/or indicators
3.5
data provider
individual or organisation that is a source of data
3.6
data store
organised and persistent collection of data and information that allows for its retrieval
3.7
decision criteria
thresholds, targets, or patterns used to determine the need for action or further investigation, or to describe the
level of confidence in a given result
3.8
derived measure
measure that is defined as a function of two or more values of base measures
NOTE Based on the definition in [International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, 1993].
3.9
entity
object that is to be characterised by measuring its attributes
EXAMPLE An object can be a process, product, project, or resource.
3.10
indicator
measure that provides an estimate or evaluation of specified attributes derived from a model with respect to
defined information needs
3.11
indicator value
numerical or categorical result assigned to an indicator
3.12
information need
insight necessary to manage objectives, goals, risks, and problems
3.13
information product
one or more indicators and their associated interpretations that address an information need
EXAMPLE A comparison of a measured defect rate to planned defect rate along with an assessment of whether or not the
difference indicates a problem.
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3.14
measure (noun)
variable to which a value is assigned as the result of measurement
NOTE The term “measures” is used to refer collectively to base measures, derived measures, and indicators.
3.15
measure (verb)
to make a measurement
[ISO/IEC 14598-1:1996]
3.16
measurable concept
abstract relationship between attributes of entities and information needs
3.17
measurement
set of operations having the object of determining a value of a measure
NOTE Based on the definition in [International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, 1993].
3.18
measurement analyst
individual or organisation that is responsible for the planning, performance, evaluation, and improvement of
measurement
3.19
measurement experience base
data store that contains the evaluation of the information products and the measurement process as well as any
lessons learned during the measurement process
3.20
measurement function
algorithm or calculation performed to combine two or more base measures
3.21
measurement librarian
individual or organisation that is responsible for managing the measurement data store(s)
3.22
measurement method
logical sequence of operations, described generically, used in quantifying an attribute with respect to a specified
scale
NOTE 1 The type of measurement method depends on the nature of the operations used to quantify an attribute. Two types
may be distinguished:
subjective — quantification involving human judgement
objective — quantification based on numerical rules
NOTE 2 Based on the definition in [International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, 1993].
3.23
measurement procedure
set of operations, described specifically, used in the performance of a particular measurement according to a given
method
[International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, 1993]
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3.24
measurement process
the process for establishing, planning, performing and evaluating software measurement within an overall project or
organisational measurement structure
3.25
measurement process owner
individual or organisation responsible for the measurement process
3.26
measurement sponsor
individual or organisation that authorises and supports the establishment of the measurement process
3.27
measurement user
individual or organisation that uses the information products
3.28
model
algorithm or calculation combining one or more base and/or derived measures with associated decision criteria
3.29
observation
instance of applying a measurement procedure to produce a value for a base measure
3.30
operator
individual or organisation that operates the system
NOTE Based on the definition in [ISO/IEC 12207:1995].
3.31
organisational unit
the part of an organisation that is the subject of measurement
NOTE An organisational unit deploys one or more processes that operate within a coherent set of business goals.
[ISO/IEC TR 15504-9:1998]
3.32
process
set of interrelated activities that transform inputs into outputs
[ISO/IEC TR 15504-9:1998]
3.33
scale
ordered set of values, continuous or discrete, or a set of categories to which the attribute is mapped
NOTE 1 The type of scale depends on the nature of the relationship between values on the scale. Four types of scales are
commonly defined:
Nominal — the measurement values are categorical. For example, the classification of defects by their type does not imply order
among the categories
Ordinal — the measurement values are rankings. For example, the assignment of defects to a severity level is a ranking
Interval — the measurement values have equal distances corresponding to equal quantities of the attribute. For example,
cyclomatic complexity has the minimum value of one, but each increment represents an additional path. The value of zero is not
possible
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Ratio — the measurement values have equal distances corresponding to equal quantities of the attribute where the value of
zero corresponds to none of the attribute. For example, the size of a software component in terms of LOC is a ratio scale
because the value of zero corresponds to no lines of code and each additional increments represents equal amounts of code
NOTE 2 These are just examples of the types of scales. Roberts [12] defines more types of scales.
NOTE 3 Based on the definition in [International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, 1993].
3.34
software product
set of computer programs, procedures, and associated documentation and data
NOTE Based on the definition in [ISO/IEC 12207:1995].
3.35
software service
performance of activities, work, or duties connected with a software product, such as its development,
maintenance, and operation
[ISO/IEC 12207:1995]
3.36
stakeholder
individual or organisation that sponsors measurement, provides data, is a user of the measurement results or
otherwise participates in the measurement process
3.37
supplier
organisation that enters into an agreement with the acquirer for the supply of a system, software product or
software service under the terms of that agreement
NOTE 1 The term “supplier” is synonymous with “contractor”, “producer”, “seller”, or “vendor”.
NOTE 2 The acquirer may designate a part of its organisation as supplier.
NOTE 3 Based on the definition in [ISO/IEC 12207:1995].
3.38
system
integrated composite that consists of one or more of the processes, hardware, software, facilities and people, that
provides a capability to satisfy a stated need or objective
[ISO/IEC 12207:1995]
3.39
unit of measurement
particular quantity, defined and adopted by convention, with which other quantities of the same kind are compared
in order to express their magnitude relative to that quantity
[International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, 1993]
3.40
user
individual or organisation that uses the system to perform a specific function
NOTE Based on the definition in [ISO/IEC 12207:1995].
3.41
value
numerical or categorical result assigned to a base measure, derived measure, or indicator
6 © ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved

4 Application of this International Standard
This clause presents an overview of the software measurement process. The objective is to orient the users of this
International Standard so that they can apply it properly within context.
4.1 Purpose and outcomes of the software measurement process
The purpose of the software measurement process defined in this International Standard is to collect, analyse, and
report data relating to the products developed and processes implemented within the organisational unit, to support
effective management of the processes, and to objectively demonstrate the quality of the products
[ISO/IEC TR 15504-2:1998]. As a result of successful implementation of the measurement process:
• organisational commitment for measurement will be established and sustained;
• the information needs of technical and management processes will be identified;
• an appropriate set of measures, driven by the information needs will be identified and/or developed;
• measurement activities will be identified;
• identified measurement activities will be planned;
• the required data will be collected, stored, analysed, and the results interpreted;
• information products will be used to support decisions and provide an objective basis for communication;
• the measurement process and measures will be evaluated; and
• improvements will be communicated to the measurement process owner.
4.2 Overview of this International Standard
This International Standard defines the activities and tasks necessary to implement a software measurement
process. An activity is a set of related tasks that contributes towards achieving the purpose and outcomes of the
software measurement process (see Clause 4.1). A task is a well-defined segment of work. Each activity is
comprised of one or more tasks. This International Standard does not specify the details of how to perform the
tasks included in the activities.
The properties of the activities of the measurement process that are defined in this International Standard are the
same properties defined in ISO/IEC 12207:1995. This means that other properties such as entry and exit criteria for
each of the activities are not defined in this International Standard.
The software measurement process consists of four activities as illustrated in the process model in Figure 1. The
activities are sequenced in an iterative cycle allowing for continuous feedback and improvement of the
measurement process. The measurement process model in Figure 1 is an adaptation of the Plan-Do-Check-Act
cycle commonly used as the basis for quality improvement. Within activities, the tasks are also iterative.
The “Technical and Management Processes” of an organisational unit or project are not within the scope of this
International Standard, although they are an important external interface to the measurement activities that are
included in this International Standard.
Two activities are considered to be the Core Measurement Process: Plan the Measurement Process, and Perform
the Measurement Process. These activities mainly address the concerns of the measurement user. The other two
activities, Establish and Sustain Measurement Commitment and Evaluate Measurement, provide a foundation for
the Core Measurement Process and provide feedback to it. These latter two activities address the concerns of the
measurement process owner.
© ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved 7

Figure 1 shows that the Core Measurement Process is driven by the information needs of the organisation. For
each information need, the Core Measurement Process produces an information product that satisfies the
information need. The information product is conveyed to the organisation as a basis for decision-making. The link
between measures and an information need is described as the Measurement Information Model in Annex A. This
annex also includes examples.
Performance of the normative activities and tasks defined in this International Standard satisfies at least the
Capability Level 1 requirements in ISO/IEC TR 15504-2:1998. However, the guidance included in this International
Standard provides the basis for implementing the measurement process at progressively higher levels of capability.
The process defined in this International Standard includes an evaluation activity, as shown in Figure 1. The intent
is to emphasise that evaluation and feedback are an essential component of the measurement process, and should
lead to improvements of the measurement process and measures. Evaluation can be simple, and performed in an
ad hoc manner when capability is low, or it can be quantitative with sophisticated statistical techniques to evaluate
the quality of the measurement process and its outputs when capability is high. Measures should be evaluated in
terms of the added value they provide for the organisation, and only deployed where the benefit can be identified.
Included in the cycle is the “Measurement Experience Base”. This is intended to capture information products from
past iterations of the cycle, previous evaluations of information products, and evaluations of previous iterations of
the measurement process. This would include the measures that have been found to be useful in the
organisational unit. No assumptions are made about the nature or technology of this “Measurement Experience
Base”, only that it be a persistent storage. Artefacts (for example, information products, historical data, and lessons
learned) stored in the “Measurement Experience Base” are intended to be reused in future iterations of the
measurement process.
Since the process model is cyclical, subsequent iterations may only update measurement products and practices.
This International Standard does not imply that measurement products and practices need to be developed and
implemented for each iteration of the process. The wording used in this International Standard adopts the
convention that one is implementing the measurement process for the first time (i.e., the first iteration). During
subsequent iterations, this wording should be interpreted as updating or changing documentation and current
practices.
The typical functional roles mentioned in this International Standard are: stakeholder, sponsor, measurement user,
measurement analyst, measurement librarian, data provider, and measurement process owner. These are defined
in Clause 3 of this International Standard.
A number of work products are produced during the performance of the measurement process. The work products
are described in Annex B, and mapped to the tasks that produce them.
8 © ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved

© ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved 9

Requirements for Measurement Measurement User Feedback
Technical and
Management
Processes
Information Products
Information Needs
Core Measurement Process
Planning
Establish &
Plan the
Perform the
Information
Sustain
Commitment
Evaluate
Measurement Measurement
Measurement
Process Measurement
Process
Commitment
(5.2) Information (5.4)
(5.3)
(5.1)
Products &
Performance
Measures
Information Products
& Evaluation Results
Measurement Experience Base
Improvement Actions
Figure 1: Software Measurement Process Model.

4.3 Organisation of this International Standard
In this International Standard, clauses “5.a” denotes an activity, and “5.a.b” a task. Clauses labelled “5.a.b.c” are
normative for the particular task. The outline structure of the activities and their constituent tasks is as follows:
5.1: Establish and sustain measurement commitment
5.1.1: Accept the requirements for measurement
5.1.1.1: The scope of measurement shall be identified.
5.1.1.2: Commitment of management and staff to measurement shall be established.
5.1.1.3: Commitment shall be communicated to the organisational unit.
5.1.2: Assign resources
5.1.2.1: Individuals shall be assigned responsibility for the measurement process within the
organisational unit.
5.1.2.2: The assigned individuals shall be provided with resources to plan the
measurement process.
5.2: Plan the measurement process
5.2.1: Characterise organisational unit
5.2.1.1: Characteristics of the organisational unit that are relevant to selecting measures
and interpreting the information products shall be explicitly described.
5.2.2: Identify information needs
5.2.2.1: Information needs for measurement shall be identified.
5.2.2.2: The identified information needs shall be prioritised.
5.2.2.3: Information needs to be addressed shall be selected.
5.2.2.4: Selected information needs shall be documented and communicated.
5.2.3: Select measures
5.2.3.1: Candidate measures that satisfy the selected information needs shall be identified.
5.2.3.2: Measures shall be selected from the candidate measures.
5.2.3.3: Selected measures shall be documented by their name, the unit of measurement,
their formal definition, the method of data collection, and their link to the
information needs.
5.2.4: Define data collection, analysis, and reporting procedures
5.2.4.1: Procedures for data collection, including storage and verification shall be defined.
5.2.4.2: Procedures for data analysis and reporting of information products shall be
defined.
5.2.4.3: Configuration management procedures shall be defined.
5.2.5: Define criteria for evaluating the information products and the measurement process
5.2.5.1: Criteria for evaluating information products shall be defined.
5.2.5.2: Criteria for evaluating the measurement process shall be defined.
5.2.6: Review, approve, and provide resources for measurement tasks
5.2.6.1: The results of measurement planning shall be reviewed and approved.
5.2.6.2: Resources shall be made available for implementing the planned measurement
tasks.
5.2.7: Acquire and deploy supporting technologies
5.2.7.1: Available supporting technologies shall be evaluated and appropriate ones
selected.
5.2.7.2: The selected supporting technologies shall be acquired and deployed
5.3: Perform the measurement process
5.3.1: Integrate procedures
5.3.1.1: Data generation and collection shall be integrated into the relevant processes.
5.3.1.2: The integrated data collection procedures shall be communicated to the data
providers.
5.3.1.3: Data analysis and reporting shall be integrated into the relevant processes.
5.3.2: Collect data
5.3.2.1: Data shall be collected.
5.3.2.2: The collected data shall be stored, including any context information necessary to
verify, understand, or evaluate the data.
5.3.2.3: The collected data shall be verified.
5.3.3: Analyse data and develop information products
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5.3.3.1: The collected data shall be analysed.
5.3.3.2: The data analysis results shall be interpreted.
5.3.3.3: The information products shall be reviewed.
5.3.4: Communicate results
5.3.4.1: The information products shall be documented.
5.3.4.2: The information products shall be communicated to the measurement users.
5.4: Evaluate measurement
5.4.1: Evaluate information products and the measurement process
5.4.1.1: The information products shall be evaluated against the specified evaluation
criteria and conclusions on strengths and weaknesses of the information products
drawn.
5.4.1.2: The measurement process shall be evaluated against the specified evaluation
criteria and conclusions on strengths and weaknesses of the measurement
process drawn.
5.4.1.3: Lessons learned from the evaluation shall be stored in the “Measurement
Experience Base”.
5.4.2: Identify potential improvements
5.4.2.1: Potential improvements to the information products shall be identified.
5.4.2.2: Potential improvements to the measurement process shall be identified.
5.4.2.3: Potential improvements shall be communicated.
The activities are described in the order in which they usually are performed. However, iteration from one activity to
the preceding activity frequently occurs. The order in which the tasks for each activity are presented does not
necessarily imply an order of implementation of the tasks. For each task, one or more normative requirements on
the implementation of the task are defined. For many tasks there is also informative guidance to help with the
interpretation of the normative requirements and the tasks’ implementation in practice. This guidance is presented
in italics.
The informative lists within the task definitions and in the annexes are not presumed to be exhaustive — they are
intended only as examples.
5 Description of the activities
In implementing a measurement process in compliance with this International Standard, the organisational unit
shall perform the activities described below. The “Requirements for Measurement” from the Technical and
Management processes trigger the measurement process.
5.1 Establish and sustain measurement commitment
This activity consists of the following tasks:
1) Accept the requirements for measurement
2) Assign resources
5.1.1 Accept the requirements for measurement
5.1.1.1 The scope of measurement shall be identified.
The scope of measurement defines an organisational unit for purposes of this standard. This may be a single project, a
functional area, the whole enterprise, a single site, or a multi-site organisation. This may consist of software projects or
supporting processes, or both. All subsequent measurement tasks should be within the defined scope.
The scope of the organisational unit can be identified through interviews and the inspection of documentation, such as
organisational charts.
In addition, all stakeholders should be identified. For example, these may be project managers, the Information Systems
manager, or the head of Quality Management. The stakeholders may be internal or external to the organisational unit.
© ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved 11

5.1.1.2 Commitment of management and staff to measurement shall be established.
Commitment should be established when “Requirements for Measurement” are defined (see Figure 1).
This includes the commitment of resources to the measurement process and the willingness to maintain this commitment. The
organisational unit should demonstrate its commitment through, for example, a measurement policy for the organisational unit,
allocation of responsibility and duties, training, and the allocation of budget and other resources. Commitment may also come in
the form of a contract with a customer requiring measurement.
5.1.1.3 Commitment shall be communicated to the organisational unit.
This can be achieved, for example, through organisational unit-wide announcements or newsletters.
5.1.2 Assign resources
5.1.2.1 Individuals shall be assigned responsibility for the measurement process within the organisational unit.
The sponsor of measurement should ensure that this responsibility is assigned to competent individuals. Competent individuals
may be acquired through transfer, coaching, training, sub-contracting and/or hiring. Competence includes knowledge of the
principles of measurement, how to collect data, perform data analysis, and communicate the information products. At a
minimum, individuals should be assigned the responsibility for the following typical roles:
• measurement user
• measurement analyst
• measurement librarian
The number of roles shown above does not imply the specific number of people needed to perform the roles. The number of
people is dependent on the size and structure of the organisational unit. These roles could be performed by as few as one
person for a small project.
5.1.2.2 The assigned individuals shall be provided with resources to plan the measurement process.
The sponsor of measurement should be responsible for ensuring that resources are provided. Resources include funding and
staff. Resource allocations may be updated in the course of activity 5.2.
5.2 Plan the measurement process
This activity consists of the following tasks:
1) Characterise organisational unit
2) Identify information needs
3) Select measures
4) Define data collection, analysis, and reporting procedures
5) Define criteria for evaluating the information products and the measurement process
6) Review, approve, and provide resources for measurement tasks
7) Acquire and deploy supporting technologies
Information products and evaluation results in the “Measurement Experience Base” should be consulted during the
performance of this activity.
Examples of the measurement planning details that need to be addressed during this activity are described in
Annex F.
12 © ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved

5.2.1 Characterise organisational unit
5.2.1.1 Characteristics of the organisational unit that are relevant to selecting measures and interpreting the
information products shall be explicitly described.
The organisational unit provides the context for measurement, and therefore it is important to make explicit this context and the
assumptions that it embodies and constraints that it imposes. Characterisation can be in terms of organisational processes,
application domains, technology, interfaces amongst divisions/departments and organisational structure. Processes may be
characterised in the form of a descriptive process model.
This task is similar in nature to task 5.1.1.1. However, this task produces more detailed information than the scoping performed
in task 5.1.1.1.
The organisational unit characterisation should be taken into account in all subsequent activities and tasks.
5.2.2 Identify information needs
5.2.2.1 Information needs for measurement shall be identified.
Information needs originate from the technical and management processes. Information needs are based on: goals, constraints,
risks, and problems of the organisational unit. The information needs may be derived from the business, organisational,
regulatory (such as legal or governmental), product and/or project objectives.
Information needs may address questions such as: “how do I estimate the productivity of a future project?”, “how do I evaluate
the software product quality during design?”, and “how do I know the status of the coding activity?”.
5.2.2.2 The identified information needs shall be prioritised.
This prioritisation is normally accomplished by, or in conjunction with, the stakeholders. Only a subset of the initial information
needs may be pursued further. This is particularly relevant if measurement is being tried for the first time within an
organisational unit, where it is preferable to start small.
An example of a simple and concrete prioritisation approach is to ask a group of stakeholders to rank the information needs. For
each information need calculate the average rank. Then order the average ranks. This ordering provides a prioritisation of the
information needs.
5.2.2.3 Information needs to be addressed shall be selected.
From the prioritised information needs, a subset is selected to be addressed during the measurement process. This selection is
likely driven by a trade-off among resource constraints, and criticality/urgency of information needs.
In large development efforts, information that is needed later may be identified, but not fully defined nor implemented until it is
required by the measurement users.
5.2.2.4 Selected information needs shall be documented and communicated.
No assumptions are made about the type of documentation. It can be paper or electronic. It is only necessary that the
documentation is retrievable.
The selected information needs should be communicated to all stakeholders. This is to ensure that they understand why certain
data are to be collected and how they are to be used.
5.2.3 Select measures
5.2.3.1 Candidate measures that satisfy the selected information needs shall be identified.
There should be a clear link between the information needs and the candidate measures. Such a link can be made using the
Measurement Information Model described in Annex A.
New measures should be defined in sufficient detail to allow for a selection decision (task 5.2.3.2). Other International
Standards, see the Bibliography, describe some commonly used software measures and requirements for their definition.
A new measure may involve an adaptation of an existing measure.
© ISO/IEC 2002 – All rights reserved 13

5.2.3.2 Measures shall be selected from the candidate measures.
The selected measures should reflect the priority of the information needs. Further example criteria that may be used for the
selection of measures are included in Annex C.
Context information necessary to in
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