Object-oriented product metrics: A generic framework

In spite of considerable prior research, a generic framework has not emerged for structuring work on object-oriented (OO) metrics. We propose such a framework (Generic Framework) for object-oriented product metrics. The framework captures the generic structure of the underlying metrics space (Metrics Space) based on a mereological and set theoretic perspective of the building blocks of OO systems and relational measurement theory. We validate the framework by applying it to a repository of about 350 product metrics. The validation shows that the framework does, indeed, capture the underlying metrics space, and can be useful in identifying gaps and additional metrics that can extend the manner in which Metrics Space is currently populated. (C) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.