Practice: Measurement and Analysis (MA)
The purpose of Measurement and Analysis (MA) is to develop and sustain a measurement capability that is used to support management information needs.
Relationships
Goals

The following specific goals are associated with this process area:

SG 1 Align Measurement and Analysis Activities

Measurement objectives and activities are aligned with identified information needs and objectives.

The specific practices covered under this specific goal may be addressed concurrently or in any order:

  • When establishing measurement objectives, experts often think ahead about necessary criteria for specifying measures and analysis procedures. They also think concurrently about the constraints imposed by data collection and storage procedures.
  • It often is important to specify the essential analyses that will be conducted before attending to details of measurement specification, data collection, or storage.

SG 2 Provide Measurement Results

Measurement results, which address identified information needs and objectives, are provided.

The primary reason for doing measurement and analysis is to address identified information needs and objectives. Measurement results based on objective evidence can help to monitor performance, fulfill contractual obligations, make informed management and technical decisions, and enable corrective actions to be taken.

Main Description

The Measurement and Analysis process area involves the following:

  • Specifying the objectives of measurement and analysis such that they are aligned with identified information needs and objectives
  • Specifying the measures, analysis techniques, and mechanism for data collection, data storage, reporting, and feedback
  • Implementing the collection, storage, analysis, and reporting of the data
  • Providing objective results that can be used in making informed decisions, and taking appropriate corrective actions

The integration of measurement and analysis activities into the processes of the project supports the following:

  • Objective planning and estimating
  • Tracking actual performance against established plans and objectives
  • Identifying and resolving process-related issues
  • Providing a basis for incorporating measurement into additional processes in the future

The staff required to implement a measurement capability may or may not be employed in a separate organization-wide program. Measurement capability may be integrated into individual projects or other organizational functions (e.g., quality assurance).

The initial focus for measurement activities is at the project level. However, a measurement capability may prove useful for addressing organization- and/or enterprise-wide information needs. To support this capability, the measurement activities should support information needs at multiple levels including the business, organizational unit, and project to minimize re-work as the organization matures.

Projects may choose to store project-specific data and results in a project-specific repository. When data are shared more widely across projects, the data may reside in the organization’s measurement repository.

Measurement and analysis of the product components provided by suppliers is essential for effective management of the quality and costs of the project. It is possible, with careful management of supplier agreements, to provide insight into the data that support supplier-performance analysis.

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Additional Information

Refer to the Project Planning (PP) process area for more information about estimating project attributes and other planning information needs.

Refer to the Project Monitoring and Control (PMC) process area for more information about monitoring project performance information needs.

Refer to the Configuration Management (CM) process area for more information about managing measurement work products.

Refer to the  Requirements Development (RD) process area for more information about meeting customer requirements and related information needs.

Refer to the  Requirements Management (REQM) process area for more information about maintaining requirements traceability and related information needs.

Refer to the Organizational Process Definition (OPD) process area for more information about establishing the organization’s measurement repository.

Refer to the Quantitative Project Management (QPM) process area for more information about understanding variation and the appropriate use of statistical analysis techniques.