An Effort-Length-Complexity Metrics Model for Software
Aimo Törn, Thorbjorn Andersson, K. Enholm · 1997
An Effort-length-complexity metrics model for software (Elc) based on measurement theory is introduced. The model is defined by e(p) = l(p)c(p), where p is any piece of software, e(p) the effort in developing it, l(p) its length, and c(p) its structural complexity. Rules for computing Elc for the basic structured constructs are given. These make Elc sensitive to sequencing, nesting and modularization. A Scheme function is supplied for computing e; l and c for any program or collection of programs given in form of flowgraphs. The tool may be callibrated to user's model of complexity by specifying some parameters. Arguments for the usability of Elc are supplied by deriving theoretical properties and by case studies. Keywords: Effort, length, stuctural complexity, hierarchical measure, software metrics, flowgraphs 1 Introduction One of the first software quality measures proposed is McCabe's cyclomatic complexity measure. As described by McCabe, the primary purpose of the measure is ...