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1. Introduction
This topic contains the complete list of software assurance/safety metrics that are suggested for use with the SA tasks in NASA-STD-8739.8.These suggested metrics will provide SA and safety personnel with much of the information they will need to assess both the software assurance/safety work, as well as providing information to help with the monitoring of the software engineering progress.
The next Metrics Table tab shows the set of metrics in a table and provides a way to download an Excel file. The Excel file contains the same metrics but has the capability of being able to filter the columns. This provides an easy way to see which metrics are associated with a particular SWE, and to filter out SWEs that may be tailored out in your project. These tables provide information on potential phases in which each metric might be collected. Be sure to read the information at the top of each metrics sheet for more specific information on the use of the tables.
Each project should review the table and decide which metrics they want to collect, based on the metrics that they think will provide them with the most information for their activities.
2. Metrics Table
The table below provides suggested metrics for the SWE requirements in Sections 7.3 of the SA tabs in the SWEs of this Handbook.
There are multiple “Metrics Types”, and each type includes optional “Measurements” by life-cycle phase for the “Associated SWE Requirements”. Many of the measurements were reworded to clarify them or to make them more generic so they could be applied in multiple places. For example, the word “non-conformance” was used in lieu of findings, problem reports, defects, or errors to cover all types of non-conformances. When choosing a measurement, change the word “non-conformance” to the one that best fits the situation to be monitored. (Note: these may be collected by the project and analyzed by SA.) Projects should choose a set of measurements to provide information on the project being implemented. The measurements do not have to be implemented as written. They may be modified to best fit the characteristics of the project.
The life-cycle phases listed below indicate the recommended phase the data may be collected (color has been added only to provide a visual reference as you scroll down the page). However, it does not mean it has to be collected in each phase. Establish a set of measurements that best suits the project taking into consideration the size and applicability of the activity. For example, if a configuration audit metric is collected, it may be appropriate to collect those measurements during most of the life-cycle phases listed, but the project may not be doing configuration audits in all the listed phases.
The NPR 7150.2C SWE requirement numbers listed in the table below are associated with the SA tasking in NASA-STD-8739.8 but may not be the only applicable SWE requirement for a particular metric.
There are a few measurements that are required specifically for analysis in NASA-STD-8739.8. They are listed in bold type. Other measurements listed in the charts should be considered when performing the tasking activities associated with the SWE numbers for the metric.
In some cases, in order to understand the full context of the metric listed in a requirement, look at the metrics in 8.18 to see other measures that contribute to the metric in a particular requirement. For example, the table shows SWE-036 with the metric, “# of software components (e.g. programs, modules, routines, functions, etc.) planned versus the number actually released in each build.” SWE-036, task 1c would provide the planning information for the scheduled deliverables. However, in order to complete the metric in SWE-036, it would be necessary to use the information collected in SWE-077 to get the “# of components actually released in each build.”
For a usable MS Excel version of this table, click on the image below and download the file.
A Word version of the full table is reproduced below if you don't want to download the Excel version.
Metrics Type | Measurements | Plan | Reqt | Des | Imp | Test | Del | Associated SWE Reqt # |
Peer Review Metrics | · # of peer reviews performed vs. # of peer reviews planned | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-016 SWE-087 SWE-089 | |
· # of Non-Conformances identified in each peer review | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-087 SWE-089 | ||
· # of Non-Conformances identified by software assurance during each peer review | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-087 SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
· Total # of peer review Non-Conformances (Open, Closed) | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-087 SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
· Preparation time each review participant spent preparing for the review | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
· Time required to close review Non-Conformances | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-087 SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
· # of peer review participants vs. total # invited | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
· # of peer review Non-Conformances per work product vs. # of peer reviewers | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
Peer Review Audit Metrics | · # of audit Non-Conformances per peer review audit | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-088 | |
· # of Peer Review Audits planned vs. # of Peer Review Audits performed | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-016 SWE-087 SWE-088 | ||
· Trends on non-conformances from audits (Open, Closed, Life-cycle Phase) | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
· Time required to close peer review audit Non-Conformances | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
· Preparation time each audit participant spent preparing for audit | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-088 SWE-089 | ||
Problem/Change Report Status Metrics | · Total # of Non-Conformances over time (Open, Closed, # of days Open, and Severity of Open) · # of Non-Conformances in current reporting period (Open, Closed, Severity) | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-062 SWE-065c SWE-065d SWE-068 SWE-202 SWE-203 SWE-204 |
· # of safety-related Non-Conformances | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-203 SWE-068 SWE-071 | ||
· Trend of Open vs. Closed Non-Conformances over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-053 SWE-054 SWE-202 SWE-065 | |
· Trend of change status over time (# of changes approved, # in implementation, # in test, # closed) | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-018 SWE-053 SWE-080 | |
· # of Non-Conformances identified in embedded COTS, GOT, MOTS, OSS, or reused components in ground or flight software vs. # of Non-Conformances successfully closed | X | X | X | SWE-136 SWE-202 SWE-203 SWE-211 | ||||
· # of Non-Conformances identified in source code products used (Open, Closed) | X | X | X | SWE-202 SWE-203 | ||||
· # of software Non-Conformances at each Severity level for each software configuration item (Open, Closed) Note: Metrics in bold type are required by all projects. |
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| X | X | X | SWE-202 | |
· # of Closed action items vs. # of Open action items | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-062 SWE-065c | |
· # of Root Cause Analyses performed; · # of Non-Conformances identified by each root cause analysis | X | X | X | X | SWE-204 | |||
SA Corrective Action (CA) metrics (Issues, Risks) | · # of CAs raised by SA vs. total # · Attributes (Type, Severity, # of days Open, Life-cycle Phase Found) · State (Open, In work, Closed) · Trends of CA closures over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-024 SWE-204 SWE-054 |
· Trend the # of inconsistencies or corrective actions identified, and # closed. | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-054 SWE-024 SWE-204 | ||
| . # of open vs. closed issues over time and latency | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-018 | |
Process Improvement Metrics | · # of software work product Non-Conformances identified by life-cycle phase over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-013 SWE-022 SWE-024 SWE-039 SWE-051 SWE-054 SWE-057 SWE-058 SWE-062 SWE-065b SWE-065c SWE-068 SWE-071 SWE-075 SWE-079 SWE-084 SWE-086 SWE-087 SWE-125 SWE-134 SWE-139 SWE-146 SWE-157 SWE-158 SWE-159 SWE-184 SWE-185 SWE-187 SWE-191 SWE-194 SWE-201 SWE-204 SWE-205 |
· # of software process Non-Conformances by life-cycle phase over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-032 SWE-039 SWE-061 SWE-077 SWE-080 SWE-082 SWE-085 SWE-086 SWE-088 SWE-139 SWE-195 SWE-204 | |
Characteristics Metrics | · Identify the specific requirements in NASA-STD-8739.8 that are being tailored by the projects (*organizational metric) | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-121 SWE-125 SWE-013 SWE-176 |
· # of projects tailoring each requirement (*organizational measure) · % of requirements tailored per project (*organizational measure) | X | X | X | X | SASS-01 SASS-09 SWE-125 SWE-013 SWE-121 | |||
· % of Total Source Code for each Software Classification (*organizational measure) | X | X | X | SWE-020 SWE-176 SWE-087 | ||||
Cost/ Effort Metrics | · Planned SA resource allocation vs. actual SA resource allocation | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-015 SWE-174 SWE-151 |
· Comparison of initial SA cost estimates vs. final cost (capturing assumptions and differences) | X | X | SWE-174 SWE-015 SWE-151 | |||||
· Trend SA cost estimates throughout life-cycle | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-174 | |
Training Metrics | · % of required training completed for each of the project SA personnel | X | X | X | X | SWE-017 | ||
· % of project personnel that have completed project specific training against planned training | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-017 | ||
Compliance Audit Metrics | · # of Compliance Audits planned vs. # of Compliance Audits performed | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-024 SWE-039 SWE-139 SWE-016 SWE-032 SWE-077 SWE-195 SWE-082 SWE-084 SWE-085 SWE-086 SWE-088 SWE-079 |
· # of Open vs. Closed Audit Non-Conformances over time · Trends of # of Non-Conformances from audits over time (Include counts from process and standards audits and work product audits.) | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-024 SWE-039 SWE-139 SWE-016 SWE-032 SWE-077 SWE-079 SWE-195 SWE-082 SWE-084 SWE-085 SWE-086 SWE-088 SWE-201 | |
· # of Non-Conformances identified in plans (e.g., SMPs, SDPs, CM Plans, SA Plans, Safety Plans, Test Plans) | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-024 SWE-013 SWE-075 SWE-079 SWE-139 SWE-071 | ||
· # of Non-Conformances identified in the software Configuration Management Plan · Trends of # Open vs. # Closed over time | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-079 | ||
· # of Configuration Management Audits conducted by the project – Planned vs. Actual | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-082 SWE-077 SWE-084 | ||
· # of Non-Conformances per audit (including findings from process and compliance audits, process maturity) | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-024 SWE-039 SWE-139 SWE-016 SWE-032 SWE-077 SWE-195 SWE-082 SWE-084 SWE-085 SWE-086 SWE-088 SWE-079 | |
· # of process Non-Conformances (e.g., activities not performed) identified by SA vs. # accepted by the project · Trends of # Open vs. # Closed over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-016 SWE-039 SWE-032 SWE-077 SWE-195 SWE-082 SWE-084 SWE-085 SWE-086 SWE-088 | |
Project Acceptance Metrics | · # of Non-Conformances (activities not being performed) · # of Non-Conformances accepted by project · # of Non-Conformances (Open, Closed, Total) · Trends of over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-087 SWE-201 SWE-039 SWE-139 |
Progress Tracking Metrics | · Deviations of actual schedule progress vs. planned schedule progress above defined threshold | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-016 SWE-018 SWE-046 |
· # of Software Requirements (e.g. Project, Application, Subsystem, System, etc.) | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-050 SWE-051 SWE-052 SWE-065b SWE-066 SWE-194 SWE-027 | ||
· # of Software Requirements that do not trace to a parent requirement | X | X | X | SWE-033 SWE-050 SWE-051 | ||||
· # of architectural issues identified vs. number closed | X | SWE-057 SWE-058 SWE-143 | ||||||
| . # of planned units for implementation vs. # of units tested and implemented | X | SWE-060 | ||||||
· # of planned unit test cases vs. # of actual unit test cases successfully completed | X | SWE-062 SWE-186 | ||||||
· # of software requirements with completed test procedures over time | X | X | SWE-065b SWE-052 SWE-066 SWE-071 SWE-191 | |||||
· Total # of tests completed vs. number of test results evaluated and signed off | X | X | SWE-066 SWE-068 SWE-065c SWE-159 | |||||
· # of Safety Critical tests executed vs. # of Safety Critical tests witnessed by SA | X | X | X | SWE-066 SWE-068 SWE-065c SWE-159 SWE-062 SWE-186 | ||||
· # of software components (e.g. programs, modules, routines, functions, etc.) planned vs. # actually released in each build | X | X | SWE-194 SWE-077 SWE-073 SWE-036 | |||||
· # of Non-Conformances from reviews (Open vs. Closed; # of days Open) | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-134 SWE-037 SWE-039 SWE-087 SWE-088 SWE-089 SWE-143 | |
· # of Software Requirements being met via satisfactory testing vs. total # of Software Requirements | X | X | X | SWE-066 SWE-065b SWE-066 SWE-192 SWE-071 | ||||
· # of Software Requirements without associated test cases | X | X | X | SWE-066 SWE-065b SWE-071 | ||||
Risk Management Metrics | · # of Risks identified in each life-cycle phase (Open, Closed) | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-086 SWE-039 SWE-179 SWE-154 SWE-156 SWE-190 |
· # of Risks by Severity (e.g., red, yellow, green) over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-032 SWE-033 SWE-039 SWE-086 SWE-154 SWE-156 SWE-179 SWE-190 SWE-191 | |
· # of Risks with mitigation plans vs. total # of Risks | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-032 SWE-033 SWE-039 SWE-086 SWE-154 SWE-156 SWE-179 SWE-190 SWE-191 | |
· # of Risks trending up over time · # of Risks trending down over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-032 SWE-033 SWE-039 SWE-086 SWE-154 SWE-156 SWE-179 SWE-190 SWE-191 | |
Cybersecurity Risks Metrics | · # of Cybersecurity Risks identified (Open, Closed, Severity) | X | X | X | X | SWE-154 SWE-156 SWE-151 | ||
· # of Cybersecurity Risks with Mitigations vs. # of Cybersecurity Risks identified | X | X | X | X | SWE-154 SWE-156 SWE-151 SWE-159 | |||
Traceability Metrics | · % of traceability completed in each area: System Level requirements to Software requirements; Software Requirements to Design; Design to Code; Software Requirements to Test Procedures | X | X | X | X | SWE-052 | ||
· % of traceability completed for all hazards to software requirements and test procedures | X | X | X | X | SWE-052 | |||
· Defect trends for trace quality (# of circular traces, orphans, widows, etc.) | X | SWE-051 SWE-052 | ||||||
Requirements Metrics | · # of detailed software requirements vs. # of estimated SLOC to be developed by the project | X | X | X | SWE-050 SWE-051 SWE-151 SWE-174 | |||
· # of incorrect, missing and incomplete requirements (i.e., # of requirements issues) vs. # of requirements issues resolved | X | X | SWE-051 SWE-053 SWE-054 | |||||
· Software Requirements Volatility (# of requirements added, deleted, modified, # of TBDs over time) |
| X | X | X | X |
| SWE-200 SWE-053 | |
· # of TBD/TBC/TBR requirements trended over time |
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| X | X | X | X | SWE-066 | |
Safety Metrics | · # of safety-related requirement issues (Open, Closed) over time | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-039 SWE-139 SWE-205 SWE-023 SWE-134 SWE-184 SWE-052 SWE-051 SWE-058 SWE-065b SWE-066 SWE-071 SWE-192 SWE-080 SWE-087 | |
· # of safety-related non-conformances identified by life-cycle phase (over time, Open vs. Closed, # of days) | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-013 SWE-039 SWE-139 SWE-143 SWE-121 SWE-184 SWE-023 SWE-134 SWE-052 SWE-051 SWE-057 SWE-058 SWE-135 SWE-062 SWE-065a SWE-065b SWE-066 SWE-068 SWE-071 SWE-191 SWE-080 SWE-081 SWE-087 SWE-205 | ||
Reuse Metrics | · # of products submitted for reuse; · # of developed products submitted for reuse vs. total # of developed products | X | SWE-147 SWE-148 | |||||
· # of developed products entered in NASA Internal Sharing & Reuse System vs. total # of developed products | X | SWE-147 SWE-148 | ||||||
· # of products submitted for reuse vs. # of products entered into NASA Internal Sharing & Reuse Systems | X | SWE-147 SWE-148 | ||||||
Cybersecurity Metrics | · # of Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and weaknesses identified · # of Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and weaknesses (Open, Closed, Severity) · Trending of Open vs. Closed over time | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-158 SWE-155 SWE-159 SWE-135 SWE-063 |
· # and type of vulnerabilities and weaknesses identified by the project | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-158 SWE-135 SWE-063 | ||
· # of Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and weaknesses identified by life-cycle phase | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-158 SWE-159 SWE-135 SWE-063 | ||
· # of Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and weaknesses identified vs. # resolved during Implementation | X | X | X | SWE-155 SWE-158 SWE-159 SWE-135 SWE-063 | ||||
· # of Non-Conformances identified in Cybersecurity coding standard compliance (Open, Closed) | X | X | X | SWE-063 SWE-135 SWE-155 SWE-158 SWE-207 | ||||
Static Code Metrics | · Document the Static Code Analysis tools used with associated Non-Conformances · # of total errors and warnings identified by tool · # of errors and warnings evaluated vs. # of total errors and warnings identified by tool | X | SWE-135 SWE-158 SWE-185 | |||||
· # of Non-Conformances raised by SA vs. total # of raised Non-Conformances | X | SWE-135 SWE-158 SWE-185 | ||||||
· # of static code errors and warnings identified as “positives” vs. # of total errors and warnings identified by tool · # of static code errors and warnings resolved by Severity vs. # of static code errors and warnings identified by Severity by tool | X | SWE-135 SWE-158 SWE-185 | ||||||
· # of static code “positives” over time (Open, Closed, Severity) | X | X | SWE-135 SWE-185 | |||||
· # of Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and weaknesses identified by tool | X | X | SWE-135 SWE-158 SWE-185 | |||||
· # coding standard violations identified (Open, Closed, type of violation, Severity) | X | SWE-061 SWE-185 | ||||||
· Software cyclomatic complexity # for safety critical components | X | X | SWE-087 SWE-134 | |||||
· Trend of # of total errors and warnings identified per SCA Tool, Language, and SLOC size | X | SWE-135 SWE-158 | ||||||
Test Procedures Metrics | · # of Non-Conformances and risks open vs. # of Non-Conformances, risks identified with test procedures | X | X | SWE-087 SWE-065b SWE-071 SWE-191 | ||||
· # of hazards with completed test procedures/cases vs. total number of hazards over time | X | X | SWE-065b SWE-068 SWE-191 | |||||
· # of software requirements with completed test procedures/cases over time | X | X | SWE-065b SWE-071 SWE-066 | |||||
· # of Non-Conformances identified when the approved, updated requirements are not reflected in test procedures | X | X | SWE-065b SWE-071 SWE-191 | |||||
· # of Non-Conformances identified while confirming hazard controls are verified through test plans/procedures/cases | X | X | SWE-065b SWE-071 SWE-066 SWE-068 SWE-191 | |||||
Test Metrics | · # of tests executed vs. # of tests successfully completed | X | X | X | SWE-062 SWE-066 SWE-065c SWE-068 SWE-159 SWE-190 SWE-192 SWE-055 SWE-080 SWE-191 SWE-194 SWE-211 | |||
· # of Non-Conformances identified during each testing phase (Open, Closed, Severity) | X | X | X | SWE-062 SWE-065c SWE-066 SWE-068 SWE-080 SWE-159 SWE-190 SWE-191 SWE-192 SWE-194 SWE-211 | ||||
· # of Requirements tested successfully vs. total # of Requirements | X | X | X | SWE-062 SWE-065b SWE-065c SWE-066 SWE-080 SWE-191 SWE-192 SWE-194 | ||||
· # of Hazards containing software that have been successfully tested vs. total # of Hazards containing software | X | X | X | SWE-062 SWE-066 SWE-068 SWE-080 SWE-134 SWE-192 SWE-205 | ||||
· # of Non-Conformances identified in models, simulations, and tools over time (Open, Closed, Severity) | X | X | X | SWE-070 | ||||
· # of Regression test set Non-Conformances/Risks over time (Open, Closed, Severity) | X | X | X | SWE-191 | ||||
· # of Requirements successfully tested in customer environment vs. # of Requirements | X | X | SWE-055 | |||||
Cybersecurity Metrics During Testing Metrics | · # of Cybersecurity mitigation implementations identified from the security vulnerabilities and security weaknesses | X | X | X | SWE-154 SWE-155 SWE-159 SWE-191 | |||
· # of Cybersecurity mitigation implementations identified with associated test procedures vs. # of Cybersecurity mitigation implementations identified | X | X | X | SWE-154 SWE-155 SWE-159 SWE-191 | ||||
· # of Cybersecurity mitigation tests completed vs. total # of Cybersecurity mitigation tests | X | X | X | SWE-159 | ||||
· # of Non-Conformances identified during Cybersecurity mitigation testing (Open, Closed, Severity) | X | X | X | SWE-159 | ||||
· Trends of Cybersecurity Non-Conformances over time | X | X | X | SWE-158 SWE-159 SWE-155 SWE-063 SWE-135 SWE-201 | ||||
Test Coverage Metrics | · Software code/test coverage percentages for all identified safety-critical components (e.g., # of paths tested vs. total # of possible paths) |
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| X | X | X | SWE-066 SWE-190 SWE-134 SWE-189 |
· # of tests successfully completed vs. total # of tests | X | X | X | SWE-055 SWE-062 SWE-066 SWE-065c SWE-068 SWE-080 SWE-159 SWE-190 SWE-191 SWE-192 SWE-194 SWE-211 | ||||
· # of detailed software requirements tested to date vs. total # of detailed software requirements | X | X | X | SWE-055 SWE-062 SWE-065b SWE-065c SWE-066 SWE-071 SWE-080 SWE-191 SWE-192 SWE-194 SWE-159 | ||||
· # of safety critical requirement verifications vs. total # of safety critical requirement verifications completed · # of Open issues vs. # of Closed over time | X | X | X | SWE-062 SWE-066 SWE-191 SWE-192 SWE-068 | ||||
· # of Source Lines of Code (SLOC) tested vs. total # of SLOC | X | X | X | SWE-066 SWE-134 SWE-189 SWE-190 | ||||
Build/Release Content Metrics | · # of software units planned vs. # actually built | X | X | X | X | SWE-063 SWE-194 | ||
· # of planned software requirements implemented in each build vs. # of actual software requirements implemented in each build | X | X | X | SWE-063 SWE-194 | ||||
· # of Non-Conformances identified in release documentation (Open, Closed) | X | X | X | SWE-063 SWE-077 SWE-084 SWE-085 | ||||
Operations/ Maintenance Metrics | · # of Non-Conformances identified in the software after delivery | X | SWE-195 | |||||
IV&V Metrics (Kept by IV&V) | · Metrics on IV&V Non-Conformances (# of issues, risks, open, closed, severity, category (requirements, code, test, documentation, etc.)) · Kept by IV&V team, not SA | X | X | X | X | X | X | SWE-179 SASS-02 |
3. Resources
3.1 References
- (SWEREF-083) NPR 7150.2D, Effective Date: March 08, 2022, Expiration Date: March 08, 2027 https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=7150&s=2D Contains link to full text copy in PDF format. Search for "SWEREF-083" for links to old NPR7150.2 copies.
- (SWEREF-278) NASA-STD-8739.8B , NASA TECHNICAL STANDARD, Approved 2022-09-08 Superseding "NASA-STD-8739.8A,
3.2 Tools
NASA users find this in the Tools Library in the Software Processes Across NASA (SPAN) site of the Software Engineering Community in NEN.
The list is informational only and does not represent an “approved tool list”, nor does it represent an endorsement of any particular tool. The purpose is to provide examples of tools being used across the Agency and to help projects and centers decide what tools to consider.
