Codermetrics

Name

Boost

Synopsis

Purpose

Measure the amount of additional user benefits delivered.

Formula

Boost = Sum (Population Benefited for each User Benefit)

Example

A new software release is issued at the end of June. In the three months following the release, the following data is gathered regarding user benefits contained in the release:

• Key transaction performance improvement, validated by embedded performance measurements, Population Benefited is 100%

• Key new reports, validated by usage data, Population Benefited is 75%

• Usability improvements in most used product area, validated by customer survey, Population Benefited is 100%

• New integration utility, validated by usage data, Population Benefited is 10%

The Boost for the release is calculated by adding the Population Benefited amounts for the four measured user benefits as follows:

Boost = (1.0 + .75 + 1.0 + .10) = 2.85

Notes

The concept is to measure the relative user benefit of each software release and, thereby, the “boost” to the software’s “win capabilities” delivered by each release. User benefits would be key enhancements such as measurable performance improvements on key transactions, major usability improvements, or key new features. The higher the Boost for a software release, the better.

In general, I suggest that user benefits should be measured and validated, but where that’s not possible you may still choose to assign value to delivered benefits. One question is where to draw the line, which benefits to include? Clearly a bug fix, for ...