asma Metrics Matters Archive

Welcome to the 'ASMA Metrics Matters Archive'.

Metrics Matters was a publication of the Australian Software Metrics Association (ASMA) from 1990 through to 2005.  It was circulated to ASMA members throughout Australia and beyond on a periodic basis. Over the years, Metrics Matters presented its readers with a wide range of articles from local and international experts in the areas of Software Metrics in general and Functional Size Measurement in particular.  Metrics Matters also contained important information on ASMA related meetings and events, and provided news and updates from different groups that had ASMA involvement.

This archive includes all editions of Metrics Matters from the first edition, Vol 1 No 1 March 1990, through to the final edition, Vol 17 No 2 September 2005.  The later editions, from 1998 through to 2005, were emailed to members as PDF files and hence are generally included as searchable documents.  The earlier editions, from 1990 through to 1997, were printed and mailed out to members as hard-copy documents.  Surviving copies of these early editions (along with a number of the later editions for which the PDF files could not be located) have been scanned in and the resultant images have been converted to PDF files.  These earlier scanned editions are therefore not searchable.

In the table below, the 'Featured Articles' column provides a reference to some of the longer articles to be found in each of the Metrics Matters editions. Readers are encouraged to scan through the full editions, however, as very often it is in the smaller articles, or within reports from ASMA monthly meetings or from the various ASMA working groups, that the truly significant and illuminating gems of knowledge are to be found. To make finding information in past editions of Metrics Matters easier and faster, you can choose to view just the table of contents pages - where they are available - as opposed to the full editions.

Metrics Matters Editions

Vol / Year

No / Month

Featured Articles

Editor / Publisher

PDF Format

Full Edition

Table of Contents Only

• Welcome to the First ASMA Newsletter
• Formation of NSW Chapter

• Formation of Victorian Chapter

• First Joint New South Wales and Victorian Newsletter

• Activities and Working Group News

• Activities and Working Group News

• The General Electric Case - Dr Eberhard Rudolph
• How to Install an Information System Measurement Program - Jeff Bergman, Bergman Voysey and Associates
• The EDP Management Cost Management Cost Reduction Methodology - Jorge Tabacman, Computer Diary

• Identifying Error Prone Modules - Dr June Verner, University of New South Wales
• Tools for Measuring CASE Productivity - Deborah Melewski, (reprinted from Software journal)

• Metrics - Vital in Getting it Right - Dick Whitfield, Logica
• A Primer on Advice for Measurement Programs - (reprinted from System Development journal)
• A "10-Gauge Dashboard" - Mark Duncan (reprinted from System Development journal)
• Implementing a Metrics Program at Westpac in Sydney - Paul Croft, Westpac

• Software Management - The Business Perspective - Paul Radford, CHARISMATEK Managerial Software
• Metric - Knowing What and When the Next Step Should Be - Nik Nikfarjam, ANZ
• Function Point Analysis Methods Review, Dick Peachey
• Software Metrics Related Tools Review

• Computer Power and Software Metrics - Peter Nott, Computer Power
• Evaluating Estimation Tools - John Holt, National Australia Bank

• Measurement of Risk - Mike Berry & Terry Lynch
• ASMA Research Grants Policy and Procedure (or How to Apply)

• Function Point Analysis - Mike Berry & Ann Jackson
• Metrics Reporting at the ANZ Bank - Milena Lopusina & George Orr, ANZ

• Assessing Productivity - PEP Measures and Methods - John Cooper, Butler Cox
• Formation of ACT Chapter
• Function Point Issues Workshop Review, George Corr

• Software Quality Metrics - Mike Berry
• Using Tools in Estimating - Peter Walsh
• Managing Maintenance Productivity - Darlene Brown
• Beyond Project Based Metrics - Graeme C Simsion, Hugh C Drummond, Simsion Bowles & Associates

• Function Point Analysis and ASMA: Survey results on who is using it and how - Milena Lopusina
• Software Process Maturity Model - Dr June Verner, University of New South Wales
• Software Engineering Standards: IT/15 Committee Report - Hugo Rehesaar
• Software Measurement in Project Measurement - Hugh Monypenny, Bellamy Miller & Monypenny
• A Short History of Size Measures and Cost Estimation: Part I - Paul Goodman, Brameur UK

• Software Quality Metrics - Terry Lynch

• Software Metrics in Manufacturing - Julian Ehrich, YANKEE Group

• Government Supports Development of ISO FP Standards - Oliver Hague
• IFPUG CPC: Meeting Trip Report - George Corr
• Draft Information Technology Cost Standards for Performance Measurement - Peter Walsh
• A Short History of Size Measures and Cost Estimation: Part II - Paul Goodman, Brameur UK

• Surveys and the Metrics Program Survey Package - Mike Berry, University of NSW
• The Complexity Factor in Function Point Analysis - Rajiv Roy
• Fall IFPUG Conference: September, 1993 - Denver Colorado, USA "The Mile High Solution", Phil Hain

• Crucial Matters for Systems Departments - Peter Walsh, DMR
• Towards Integrated and Meaningful Metrics - Rob Thomsett, Rob Thomsett & Associates
• Are You Sure That's Right?: An Exploration into the Validity of Measurement - Les Beddoes, Australian Taxation Office
• Can Function Points Help Manage Your Projects? - Capers Jones, Software Productivity Research

• Conducting an Effective Client Survey Customer Satisfaction Survey - Bill Grabham, BHP Information Technology
• Abstracts from ACOSM'93
• ISO Standards for Functional Size Measurement Update - Hugo Rehesaar
• Software Product Quality Measurement - James Kelly
• ASMA NSW Library

• Quality - the Neglected Child of Software Metrics - Alan Baker, ASPECT Computing
• The People Factor in Software Metrics Progams - Braunstein & Berry
• IEEE Standard for a Software Quality Metrics Methodology: IEEE Standard 1061 - 1992

• Some thoughts on how to count Function Points on World Wide Web Sites - Denis St-Pierre
• Measuring Object Oriented Systems - Mary McComb
• ISO Standard: Functional Size Measurement SC7 Plenary, Brisbane June 1995 - Hugo Rehessar
• Joint ASMA / SQA Meeting Sydney: Functional Size Measurement - Hugo Rehessar

• Function Point Analysis applied to a Graphical User Interface Environment - Joachim Mika, et al
• Icebagging - Stuart Kennedy
• Can't live with them, can't live without them: A review of the General System Characteristics in FPA - Alan Baker, et al

• Project Ranking Methodology
• Counting in GUI Environments

• The State of Practice in Software Metrics - Prof Ross Jeffery
• VIC 21 Acquisition of Customised Software Policy - Department of State Development Victoria
• The 5 Part Functional Size Measurement Standard - Hugo Rehesaar

• Human Factors in Developing Teams for Process Improvement - Chuck Myers, Software Engineering Institute, USA
• Planned Changes for Software Capability Maturity Model Version 2 - Mark Paulk, Software Engineering Institute, USA

• International Update on Software Metrics
• A Traveloguue on the IFPUG 1997 Spring Conference - Ann Jackson, Capstone Services

• Quality, Productivity and Capability Maturity - Bruce Hodgen
• Fixing PC Software, a One-Person Job - Beverley Head, reprinted from the Australian Financial Review

• Interesting Facts from Howard Rubin's 1997 Survey
• New ISO Standard for Software Measurement Process - Terry Route, Griffith University

• IFPUG World Metrics News - Pam Morris, Total Metrics
• When is a RET not a RET? - Pam Morris, Total Metrics
• IFPUG 1998 Conference - Functional Size Measurement from Vision to Reality - Pam Morris, Total Metrics

• Benefits and Risks in Outsourcing - Industry Trends - Neil Fraser, Deloitte and Touche Consulting Group
• Functional Sizing of GUI Systems - David Cleary, CHARISMATEK Software Metrics

• Function Points: 1978 to 1998 and Beyond - Capers Jones, SPR & Howard Rubin, Rubin Systems Inc
• Benefiting from the Benchmark Repository Data - Robert Poon, EDS

• Implementing an Experience Factory on Existing Organizatiobnal Knowledge - Ross Jeffery, Unversity of New South Wales
• Process and Metrics at Motorola - Michiel F Vanenbroek, Motorola
• Stemming the Tide of Software Asset Rot - Paul Strassmann

• Web Based Development and Functional Size Measurement - David Cleary, CHARISMATEK Software Metrics
• COSMIC FFP Progress Report - Pam Morris, Total Metrics

• ISBSG Repository Research Possibilities - Peter Hill, ISBSG
• Estimating NOT Guestimating - Colin Moore-Towns, CMG Admiral
• ISO/IEC 15939 Software Measurement Process - John McGarry, US Army TACOM-ARDEC

• Benchmark Reveals the State of the Australian Software Industry - Peter Hill, ISBSG
• Uses and Benefits of Function Points: Part 1 - Pam Morris, Total Metrics
• Targeted Assessment of the Software Process - Mike Berry, CSIRO
• ISO 9001:2000 for the Software Industry - Tom McBride

• The New ISBSG Estimating, Benchmarking and Research Suite - Peter Hill, ISBSG
• Come Back Function Point Analysis (Modernised) - All Is Forgiven! - Charles Symons
• ISO Standard for Functional Size Measurement - ISO Working Group 12

• The Trials and Tribulations of Function Points - David Wright, DST International
• The Power of COSMIC-FFP - Software Measurement Services
• New Approaches to Software Metrics - Ted Smilie, Montrose Computing and Rocco Muller, Software Best Practice

• Sydney Welcomes the Metrics 2003 and ACOSM 2003 Conference - Sophia Poulos, IBM Global Services (editor)
• (Extended) Functional Size Measurement Methods are also Applicable to Enhancement Projects - Ton Dekkers, Segeti Netherlands B.V.
• How to Conduct a Successful IT Services Benchmark - Mahavir Luhach, Westpac IT

• Software Measurement Careers and Experiences Q&A Interview with Oliver Hague - Mark Exall, Centrelink
• Best Practice: IBM Achieves CMMI Level 5 - Sophia Poulos, IBM Global Services

• Measurement and Analysis: Why is it such a neglected process? - Stedroy J S Farrell, ADI
• Best Practice: IBM Australia/ New Zealand Receives Award for Software Process Achievement - Colin Connaughton, IBM Global Services
• What is a Certified Software Metrics Professional? - Mike Berry, National ICT

• ACS 2004 Incorporating ACOSM 2004 Conference - Sophia Poulos, IBM Global Services
• Certification for ICT Professionals - Tom McBride, ACS National Standards Committee
• Using Operational Size in the Real World - Brian Nelson, Centrelink

• There's Sourcing and then there's Sourcing ... - Sophia Poulos, IBM Global Services
• Balancing Scorecards with Reality: How to Make Balanced Scorecards Work for Your Organisation - Susan H Cramm
• Benchmarking Product and Service Quality - Nita Sarang, CMC Limited India
• Is Software Measurement a Knowledge Area - Ted Smilie, Montrose Computing Services Pty Ltd

• ASMA/SQA (NSW) Chairman's Musings - Helen Aitken
• Estimating Military Software: The Problem Facing the Defence Project Office - Greg Gilbert
• IT Spending - A Necessary Evil? - Ted Smilie