In this task the Reuse Strategy should be evaluated regarding that the metrics the enterprise wants to track.
There are several kinds of metrics to track, including metrics managed by the repository, metrics entered by Asset
Owners or Producers, and metrics entered by Asset Consumers.
Since collecting metrics can be distributed amongst many roles and points in software development, the asset rules and
policies and other governance documents should be updated with the results of this task. A key value of defining
metrics early in the effort is to establish a common baseline for what a metric means, who creates the metrics, and
where they are captured. Without establishing this baseline the metrics are too vague and left to individual
interpretation. This lacks clarity and does nothing to help the asset reuse work roll forward.
This task of defining how the asset program will be measured is a core requirement to the success of the asset efforts
to continue.
A sampling of metrics is introduced below for each of the categories of metrics.
Quantitative Metrics Tracked By The Repository
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Number of downloads for an asset
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Searches and views
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Number of assets in repository of a given type, or state
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Number of assets submitted
Quantitative Metrics Submitted by Asset Owners or Producers
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Level of effort to create the asset
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Level of anticipated effort for an Asset Consumer to reuse an asset
Quantitative Metrics Submitted By Asset Consumers
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Actual level of effort to use the asset
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Project/team/engagement where the asset was used
Qualitative Metrics Submitted By Asset Consumers
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Reusability rating (scored with stars)
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Textual feedback
Derived Metrics
These are metrics that are generally derived by management and project leads.
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Number of repository accesses over a period of time
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Number of asset submissions over a period of time
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Number of defects submitted for a given asset
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Number of assets used over a period of time
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Return on investment for the repository
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Level of reuse on a given project
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Productivity gains and ROI realized by using assets on a project
The metrics described here are usage-oriented metrics. They focus on the activities around using an asset. Another set
of metrics describe the cost side of assets. When brought together, they provide support for understanding the value of
assets to the enterprise. These cost-side metrics will typically be found in a portfolio management tool.
Other metrics in terms of identifying the value of assets as they are used include:
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Reuse costs (time to use, modify, etc.)
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Time saved from using the asset
Jeffrey Poulin's work on Measuring Software Reuse (Addison Wesley, 1997, ISBN: 0-201-63413-9) describes some key
metrics to start with and grow into.
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