A New Paradigm for Collecting and Interpreting Bug Metrics

Many software test organizations count bugs; however, most do not derive much value from the practice, and other metrics can actually harm the quality of their software or their organization. Although valuable insights can be gained from examining find and fix rates or by graphing open bugs over time, you can be more easily fooled than informed by such metrics. Metrics used for control instead of inquiry tend to promote dysfunctional behavior whenever people know they are being measured. In this session, James Bach examines the subtleties of bug metrics analysis and shows examples of both helpful and misleading metrics from actual projects. Instead of the well-known Goal/Question/Metric paradigm, James presents a less intrusive approach to measurement that he describes as the Observe/Inquire/Model. Learn about the dynamics and dangers of measurement and a new approach to improve your metrics and the software you produce.