@inbook {
title = {Measurement},
author = {Agresti, William W. and Basili, Victor R. and Caldiera, Gianluigi and Rombach, H. Dieter and Basili, Victor R. and Caldiera, Gianluigi and Rombach, H. Dieter},
publisher = {John Wiley & Sons, Inc.},
isbn = {9780471028956},
doi = {10.1002/0471028959.sof198},
keywords = {software measurement, history, definitions, goals, types, software models, descriptive models, process models, predictive models, measurement methodology},
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Software Engineering},
year = {2002},
abstract = {This article discusses the following topics:

* History of software measurement

* Definition and goals of software measurement

* Types of software models and measures

* Examples of descriptive and predictive models and measures

* Measurement methodology
Measurement was an important activity from the earliest examples of computer programming. Early programs were often developed to perform repetitive calculations such as computing firing tables for military applications; to implement numerical methods for solving mathematical problems; to process business transactions and update files; and to develop systems software such as device drivers, assemblers, compilers, and operating systems. The measures of interest were specific to the program, and were strongly influenced by the resource limitations of the times. Programmers were concerned mostly with implementing the program correctly, improving the execution speed of their programs, and conserving limited fast memory on the machines.By the time of the influential conference at Garmisch, Germany, which introduced the term ¡°software engineering¡± in 1968, the scope of software measurement had increased. For example, discussions at the conference reflect that the properties of productivity and reliability were recognized, along with the context of developing software by a group of people rather than an individual.Continuing from the late 1960s, through the 1970s and early 1980s, software measurement was marked by selected instances of progress. However, the measurement goals were neither explicit nor comprehensive.Progress since 1985 or so has brought software measurement to a more mature state with the following characteristics of this nature state are defined.},
}