Avoiding Test Metric Pitfalls

Most software and test managers keep some metrics to help them, but are yours really doing the job for you? Good test metrics can serve as an early warning mechanism about a project in trouble, help justify much needed assistance for a testing team, or demonstrate the value testers provide. Poor metrics can mislead management or drive a wedge between development and test teams. Steve Walters explains the basic enablers for metrics reporting and discusses three categories of metrics, providing tips for choosing metrics that matter. Find out which metrics your team should publish and which metrics provide limited or negative value. Discover how metrics can change behavior while learning ways to improve metrics over time.

• The necessary foundation for effective metrics reporting
• Metrics that matter in your organization
• Metrics that drive the wrong behavior and those that drive the right behavior