This document summarizes a presentation by Ray Buse on software analytics. It discusses how analytics can provide insights through measurements, metrics, and analysis of software development data. Currently, data is plentiful but acting on it can be difficult. The goal is to make analytics more actionable and accessible by improving tools, user experience, data collection and ensuring high data quality while respecting privacy. Researchers analyze data but may lack project context, while managers have project knowledge but not analysis skills. Analysts can bridge this gap by having both analysis skills and project understanding to make the right assumptions and recommendations.

1. Thomas Zimmermann
tzimmer@microsoft.com
Ray Buse
buse@cs.virginia.edu
FoSER 2010 - Santa Fe, NM

2. 11/7/2010 2 2Ray Buse • Analytics for Software Development

3. 11/7/2010 3 3Ray Buse • Analytics for Software Development

5. 11/7/2010 5 5Ray Buse • Analytics for Software Development
Analytics
Measurements
Metrics
Exploratory Analysis
Quantitative Analysis
Qualitative Analysis
Experiments
Insights
Insights
Why?
Measurements
What?
How much?
What if?
Goal
Analytics

6. 6Ray Buse • Analytics for Software Development
Where is Software Eng. Today?
Few Insights Many Insights

7. 7Ray Buse • Analytics for Software Development
Where is Software Eng. Today?

8. Data Rich
Telemetry
Architecture
Complexity
Documentation
Dependencies
Expertise
Code Clones
Velocity
Defect
Density
Readability
Churn
Ownership
Change Type
Test
Coverage
Failure
Models

9. Researcher Manager
Data is plentiful

10. Acting on data is hard
Researcher Developer
Researcher Manager
So what?
Readability
is 4.8
Complexity
is 9.6
…

11. Acting on data is hard
Researcher
Researcher Manager
Knows how to
analyze data
Makes
assumptions
about project
Knows project
very well
Has to learn about
analysis to understand
and act on results

12. Analytics Tools
Researcher Manager
Meets specific
information needs
Easy to use &
understand

13. Analyst
Software Analyst
Researcher
Researcher Manager
Knows enough about project to
make the right assumptions

14. Researcher
Researcher Manager
We need more
code reviews
Readability is 4.8
Analyst
This readability is a
problem for us

15. Make Data Actionable and Accessible
User experience
Data collection
Data quality
Privacy
Understand
user needs
Education

16. Thank you!
Tom Zimmermann
http://thomas-zimmermann.com
Ray Buse
http://arrestedcomputing.com