Object-Oriented Design Measurement

Rating:
Summary: An important work - also of interest to security pros
Review: I first encountered Mr. Whitmire's work nearly ten years ago when I read on of his articles on 3-D function points. From that time on I have followed his writing.

This book shows Mr. Whitmire at his finest: someone who thoroughly knows his subject and is willing to dig deeply into difficult topics and concepts. In this book he applies his keen intellect to classifying and explaining the body of knowledge devoted to object-oriented design measurement.

He starts by putting measurement into the context of software engineering. This is done with a thoroughness lays the foundation for the rest of the book. The section on the design process is excellent. If you are a highly technical project manager or involved in the estimation process you will find this section invaluable. The section on selecting measures finishes the first part of the book and arms you with enough information begin using O-O design measurement.

Part II of the book is not for the faint of heart, but is necessary reading if you truly want to understand object oriented design measurement (and the rest of the book). It is devoted to the technical foundations of design measurement, and gets into some interesting territory (well, I found it interesting - your mileage will vary). It starts with set theory and drills down into all of the related math. Be prepared to engage in deep thinking here. Your efforts will prepare you for the next section, which covers measurement theory in the same detail. If you make it through the math you will have passed a significant milestone and will be well on your way to understanding object oriented measurement. You will also find the section on the theory of objects to be easier reading, and you will also see objects in a completely different way. It is here (after plowing through the previous sections of the book) that I saw how I could apply this book to topics that on the surface had little to do with the author's original scope. For example, I saw immediate application of the principles in security; specifically, role based access controls and directory. This was reinforced in Section III, which covers design characteristics, complexity, coupling and completeness, and other essential characteristics.

Who will find this book useful? Architects and project estimators working on object-oriented projects are the primary audience. If you are in an organization that wants to achieve CMM level 4 or 5, then the technical foundations of design measurement will prove invaluable. If you are in a CMM level 4 or 5 organization then this book will also be of interest to members of the PMO (program management office) and SEPG (software engineering process group). I also believe that systems security professionals who are developing role based access controls and enterprise directory services designers would greatly benefit from this book.

Rating:
Summary: An important work - also of interest to security pros
Review: I first encountered Mr. Whitmire's work nearly ten years ago when I read on of his articles on 3-D function points. From that time on I have followed his writing.

This book shows Mr. Whitmire at his finest: someone who thoroughly knows his subject and is willing to dig deeply into difficult topics and concepts. In this book he applies his keen intellect to classifying and explaining the body of knowledge devoted to object-oriented design measurement.

He starts by putting measurement into the context of software engineering. This is done with a thoroughness lays the foundation for the rest of the book. The section on the design process is excellent. If you are a highly technical project manager or involved in the estimation process you will find this section invaluable. The section on selecting measures finishes the first part of the book and arms you with enough information begin using O-O design measurement.

Part II of the book is not for the faint of heart, but is necessary reading if you truly want to understand object oriented design measurement (and the rest of the book). It is devoted to the technical foundations of design measurement, and gets into some interesting territory (well, I found it interesting - your mileage will vary). It starts with set theory and drills down into all of the related math. Be prepared to engage in deep thinking here. Your efforts will prepare you for the next section, which covers measurement theory in the same detail. If you make it through the math you will have passed a significant milestone and will be well on your way to understanding object oriented measurement. You will also find the section on the theory of objects to be easier reading, and you will also see objects in a completely different way. It is here (after plowing through the previous sections of the book) that I saw how I could apply this book to topics that on the surface had little to do with the author's original scope. For example, I saw immediate application of the principles in security; specifically, role based access controls and directory. This was reinforced in Section III, which covers design characteristics, complexity, coupling and completeness, and other essential characteristics.

Who will find this book useful? Architects and project estimators working on object-oriented projects are the primary audience. If you are in an organization that wants to achieve CMM level 4 or 5, then the technical foundations of design measurement will prove invaluable. If you are in a CMM level 4 or 5 organization then this book will also be of interest to members of the PMO (program management office) and SEPG (software engineering process group). I also believe that systems security professionals who are developing role based access controls and enterprise directory services designers would greatly benefit from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Measurement, Design, and Process in one cover!
Review: Reading Mr. Whitmire's book helped me understand the need for utilizing newer technologies, and provided the ways to accomplish them and the measures to determine the effectiveness. It gave me the confidence I need to get off the mark and move on using the technologies he presents and explains so well. A must read for technicians as well as managers in software development.