Concept: Metrics
A metric is the interpretation of a measurable attribute of an entity.
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Main Description

What is a Metric?

There is usually a lot of discussion on what is a metric, if it is or not different from a measure and if it is the case what the difference is. So to clarify that let start by defined what is meant her by measure and by metric.

  • A Measure: is a raw data item that is directly measured and that will be used to calculate a metric.
  • A Metric: is an interpretation of a measure or a set of measures that you will for analysis.

For example, recording how many test cases have passed and how many have failed are measures. Interpreting what level of quality this indicates and how it reflects the team's progress within the current iteration is a metric.

Why Measure?

Measurements will mainly help the project manager to:

  • Communicate effectively. Measurement supports effective communication among the team members and all the stakeholders.
  • Identify and correct problems early. Measurement allows to identify and manage potential problems early in the development lifecycle, before they become really problems. 
  • Make informed trade-offs. Measurement helps assess objectively the impact of decisions, helping managers to make trade-off decisions to best meet project goals. 
  • Tune estimations. Recording schedule, progress, and expenditures for projects provides will help managers to make more reliable estimations for future projects.

Essentially, measurement provides the data managers need to make the right decisions based on objective information.