Software risk assessment through software measurement and modeling

A major portion of our recent research is to refine a software process model for a major Storage Technology Corporation (STK) development program. The work is centered around the precise measurement of software development outcomes for the accurate reliability assessment of the program and subsequent projects. Three major measurement initiatives were established. First, tools and processes for the static measurement of the source code have been installed and made operational at STK. The measurement process has been automated and been made transparent to the programming staff. Second, tools and processes have been developed for the management and accurate measurement of software faults. No useful software measurement system may be developed without a precise understanding of software faults and their etiology. Finally, tools have been developed and processes initiated that will demonstrate the feasibility and the necessity of a dynamic software measurement processes. The STK program includes the development of a software profiler to obtain measures of program dynamics.