Evaluating design metrics on large-scale software

Design-quality metrics that are being developed for predicting the potential quality and complexity of the system being developed are discussed. The goal of the metrics is to provide timely design information that can guide a developer in producing a higher quality product. The metrics were tested on projects developed in a university setting with client partners in industry. To further validate the metrics, they were applied to professionally developed systems to test their predictive qualities. The results of applying two design metrics and a composite metric to data from a large-scale industrial project are presented.<>