Skip Navigation

The Computer Journal 1987 30(3):233-238; doi:10.1093/comjnl/30.3.233
© 1987 by British Computer Society
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Navlakha, J. K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

A Survey of System Complexity Metrics

J. K. Navlakha *

Department of Mathematical Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA

Measures of the structured design of software systems are called system complexity metrics. Two particularly promising system complexity metrics are described in this paper: Yin and Winchester's metric, which is derived from a system's structured design charts; and Henry and Kafura's metric, which is derived from a system's information flow. The values computed by both are available after the end of the design phase. Consequently, they are useful in the entire software development life cycle, from the design phase on. The definition, utility, interpretation and advantages of each metric are described. Validation studies and their results are also reported for each metric. It is noted that Yin and Winchester's metric is quite successfully used at Hughes Aircraft Company but that there is no published report of the use of an information flow metric by any software organisation.

Received February 1985. revised March 1986.

* Department of Mathematical Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.