1. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 1 SMU CSE 8314 / NTU SE 762-N Software Measurement and Quality Engineering Module 25 Selecting Goals

2. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 2 What is a Goal? Some definitions from Webster’s ninth new collegiate dictionary: – “the terminal point of a race” – “an area to be reached safely in children’s games” – “an end toward which effort is directed”

3. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 3 Types of Goals Survival Goal – We must do it or else failure would be disaster Pledge Goal – We are committed to it – Failure would be hard to take or shameful Necessary Goal – We need to do it – Failure would cause suffering or be unpleasant

4. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 4 Types of Goals (continued) Desirable Goal – We would like to do it – Failure would be a disappointment Stretch Goal – We may not get there but we will give it a good try – Failure will be ok because we will be better than we are now

5. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 5 Notes About Goals Goals vary in – Consequences of failure – Degree of commitment required Too many goals can dilute effort and commitment But goals are necessary for improvement

6. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 6 Prioritize Goals You cannot always measure everything Determine which goals are most important Also make sure that the goals are consistent Are people getting consistent direction?

7. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 7 Why Do Inconsistent Goals Happen? Top management sets a few goals Then delegates each of them to level 2 Level 2 management sets a few subgoals Then delegates each of them to level 3 And so forth …..

8. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 8 At the Bottom …

9. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 9 The Key is to Align the Goals Organizational structures and priorities often impede this You must learn to spot misalignments and work with the affected managers to get them aligned We will address this more, later in the lecture

10. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 10 Good Goals Should Be... Clearly understood Unambiguous Achievable Challenging Consistent with Other Goals Supported by Resources Measurable Testable

11. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 11 Stretch Goals Just how far can or should you “push” employees? “If you give them a stretch goal, they will achieve a lot more than they think they can” “If you push them too far, they will become demotivated”

12. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 12 Goals for Modern Times SW Managers Team SEI level 2 in 3 years for our major product SW VP SEI level 2 in 2 years for our major product VP of Technical Development SEI level 2 in 2 years for all software President SEI level 2 in 1 year for all software Parents Have a child in 3 years, either a boy or a girl Grandparents Have a child in 2 years, either a boy or a girl State Agency for Family Assistance Have twins within 2 years, 1 boy and 1 girl Federal Family Bureau Have twins within 6 months, 1 boy and 1 girl

13. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 13 Don’t Turn S T R E T C H goals into STRESS goals (1) (1) Unless you want to disrupt the system and risk losing it all. Stretch Stress Productivity

14. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 14 BUT... What if your family’s survival depends on having twins within one year? What if your company’s survival depend on achieving SEI level 2 in one year? Could you do it? Would you try?

15. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 15 If you MUST do it, Maybe you Can! How far do you need to go? – Needs v.s. Wants – Balancing objectives How much are you willing to pay? – Resources (Capital, People, Time)? – Reorganization, changing key players? – Loss of other opportunities? How much are you willing to risk? – Failure?

16. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 16 The Real Issue The price of success in one goal is often loss of the the opportunity to achieve other goals – Good grades vs. watch TV all day – Marry for money vs. marry for love – High living vs. retirement income – Fewer defects vs. Faster delivery Every resource spent on one goal is not being spent on anything else

17. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 17 Balanced Goals FEWER DEFECTS GOAL 1 GOAL 2 SHORTER TIME GOAL 3 LOWER COST The larger goal is often to shrink the triangle while keeping it in proportion

18. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 18 Balance Among Goals does Not Have to Mean Stagnation Process improvement is not a zero-sum game, for example: – The following affect all three: cost, quality and cycle time Eliminating waste Stable requirements Alignment of methods & measurements helps achievement of multiple goals, e.g. – Common measurement, process and terminology

19. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 19 In Short... Smart, thoughtful, insightful approaches can make progress toward multiple goals. As in most other human endeavors, “forced” solutions usually have short term effects; planned and insightful solutions usually have long term effects. There’s no substitute for intelligence, knowledge, and persistence.

20. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 20 You Tend to Get what you Ask For Be Careful What You Ask For -- You May Get It Keep a Perspective on the Proper Balance among Goals

21. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 21 Measurements and Goals Goal – Something you want to accomplish, e.g. Build a family car that will accelerate from 0- 60 mph in under 10 seconds Develop software that satisfies the customer Measure – Something that can give you insight as to whether you are accomplishing a goal, e.g. Engine horsepower Defect density in released software (low defects = fewer bugs)

22. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 22 Turning Measures Into Goals... … can lead to suboptimization – Meeting the low level goals instead of the overall goal My goal is good horsepower. I reached 450! But nobody wants that in a family car!!!

23. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 23 Example 2 But the customer doesn’t like it. I have perfect software - zero defects!

24. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 24 Goal: – I want to graduate and get a good job Measure: – Grade Point Average Possible Confusion: – Achieving high GPA by taking easy courses Possible Result: – Unemployment because of lack of adequate education Example 3

25. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 25 The Correct Method Plan your studies well Do your homework Study Do your assignments Study Have fun and enjoy yourself now and then Study

26. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 26 Example 4 Goal: High Quality Software Measure: SEI Level Possible Confusion: – Achieving high SEI level by: Assessing only the best projects, or Hiring an “easy” assessment contractor, or Moving too fast & achieving only a cosmetic SEI level (achieving the illusion of a high SEI level) Possible Result: – Rapid deterioration into low maturity level

27. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 27 The Correct Method Follow a deliberate plan Allow enough time for changes to be integrated into the infrastructure Develop a genuine appreciation for the elements of process maturity Work on your real problems, not just issues suggested by the SEI model Focus on the goals of the SEI model, not all of the specific activities

28. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 28 Example 5 Goal: High Productivity Measure: Lines of code per staff day Possible Confusion: – Achieving high LOC/SD by rewarding the highest performers Possible Result: – Bloated Software lots of useless code, takes up more memory than it needs to and runs too slow

29. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 29 The Correct Method Analyze your process Remove bottlenecks, obstacles & inefficiencies Reuse wherever appropriate Apply tools where most needed Negotiate issues with customers, management, etc. I.e., Make the process more efficient

30. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 30 The Common Pattern... Confusing Measures With Goals

31. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 31 Measurable Goals Good goals should be measurable, so you know if you have met them But this does not mean the measure is the goal, for example: – Goal is to reduce development time – Measure: weeks required to produce the product – Goal: reduce by 20% this year – Actual: reduced by 20% – But could have reduced by 30% - stopped when reached “goal”

32. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 32 Analysis The goal of 20% was artificial The real goal was reduction as much as possible If people understood this they would not have stopped at 20% This is a subtle difference but sometimes it is very important – e.g., people may meet the real goal but fail to meet a “magic number” -- or vice versa – This often happens when individual goals do not track overall organizational goals

33. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 33 Example Real Goal - Increase Profits Subsidiary Goal - Increase Sales by 20% – Salesmen reach their quotas by selling products to non-credit-worthy customers – Customers fail to pay – Company loses money on these sales – Real goal is lost, although salesmen get bonuses for meeting their quotas Everyone must align with the real goals

34. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 34 Choosing Measures to Support the Goals There are potentially hundreds or even thousands of things you can measure for any given goal And there are potentially hundreds of ways to analyze and interpret the things being measured How do you select the right measures? – See the next module

35. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 35 Summary Select goals carefully – You get what you ask for Don’t confuse “goals must be measurable” with the idea that your goal is the measure Select a small number of good goals – And align them with each other

36. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 36 References Weinberg, Gerald M. Quality Software Management, Volume 1, Systems Thinking, Dorset House, New York, 1992. ISBN: 0-932633-22-6.

37. CSE 8314 - SW Measurement and Quality Engineering Copyright © 1995-2003, Dennis J. Frailey, All Rights Reserved CSE8314M25 version 3.09Slide 37 END OF MODULE 25