Measurement and quantification are not the same: ISO 15939 and ISO 9126

• Published in: Journal of software : evolution and process Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. 585 - 601
• Main Authors: Abran, Alain, Desharnais, Jean-Marc, Cuadrado-Gallego, Juan Jose
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.08.2012
• Subjects: design of a measure; ISO 15939; ISO 9126; metrology; quality measure; quantitative models; software measurement
• ISSN: 2047-7473; 2047-7481
• DOI: 10.1002/smr.496

SUMMARY Measurement based on the international standards for measurement (i.e., metrology) is not the same as judgmental‐based quantification of implicit relationships across a mix of entities and attributes without due consideration of admissible mathematical operations on numbers of different scale types. This paper presents first the Measurement Information Model in ISO 15939 and clarifies next what in it refers to the classical metrology field, and what refers to the quantitative analysis of relationships. The paper concludes with two examples of the designs of a measure for ISO 9126, one focusing on a single attribute and the second attempting to quantify a set of relationships across a number of entities and attributes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Measurement based on international standards for measurement is not the same as judgmental‐based quantification of implicit relationships across a mix of entities and attributes without due consideration of admissible mathematical operations on numbers of different scale types. This paper presents first the Measurement Information Model in ISO 15939 and clarifies what in it refers to the classical metrology field, and what refers to quantitative analysis of relationships. Two examples of the designs of a measure for ISO 9126 are presented, one focusing on a single attribute and the second attempting to quantify a set of relationships across a number of entities and attributes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.