Exploring Quality Metrics to Support Defect Management Process in a Multi-site Organization - A Case Study

In large software development projects, the number of defects can be considerably high and defect management can become even more challenging when the development is distributed over several sites. Defect reduction solutions and commonly agreed defect management methods are needed to handle the defects and to meet the target quality level of the software, measured by the number of open defects. In this study, a combination of three quality metrics was used to support the defect management process in four consecutive multi-site software development programs involving several hundred people, and the result was compared to a program not using the described quality criteria set. According to the results, defect closing speed was improved, the number of open defects was reduced, and defects were reported earlier in programs that were using the quality metrics.