External validation of a metrics-based quality assessment of the JWAM Framework
Claus Lewerentz, Frank Simon, Frank Steinbrückner, Holger Breitling, Carola Lilienthal, Martin Lippert · Deutscher Universitätsverlag eBooks · 2002
Product metrics allow for an efficient way to get feedback about the quality of an existing software system. Beside the internal validation of metrics, i.e. their examination with respect to measurement theory, the external validation is important to examine the value of results based on metrics analysis. In this paper, a well-defined process to get a metrics-based quality assessment is applied to the Java Framework JWAM. For the external validation its results were analysed by the JWAM development team: Most aspects were valuable to them and the findings were classified as either completely new, confirming rough knowledge, or well known. Additionally, a second process walkthrough for the new JWAM-version showed that many detected quality defects have been removed.