Presenting Software Metrics Indicators- A Case Study

Industrial measurement systems in software projects can generate a large number of indicators (main measurements). Having a large number of indicators might result in failing to present an overview of the status of measured entities. In consequence, managers might experience problems when making decisions based on indicators. In essence, visualizing indicators and their dependencies can communicate the information to the stakeholders efficiently if done correctly, or mislead them if not done properly. In this paper we present results of a case study conducted in a unit of Ericsson. During the case study we identified the main requirements for methods for visualizing the indicators, developed these visualizations and conducted a series of interviews evaluating them. The results show that the dashboard presentation is the best solution, but that the simple, tabular visualizations are next best suited for communicating the information to the managers.