ABSTRACT
Progress in software engineering requires a great deal of technical knowledge that can only be derived from accurate measurements of size, quality, costs, and technology effectiveness. Universities have been essentially silent on these metric problems, and indeed some continue to teach software engineering and software project management using lines of code (LOC) and cost per defect metrics without any cautions to students at all that these metrics are invalid and distort reality. Many universities at both graduate and undergraduate levels often still use lines of code and cost per defect and hence are providing disinformation to students instead of solid facts. Functional metrics are seldom taught in universities except in passing and are often combined with hazardous metrics such as lines of code because the faculty has not analyzed the problems. Wastage, poor quality, poor metrics, poor measurements, and poor technology transfer are all endemic problems of the software industry.
