Independent Validation of a Component Metrics Suite

This paper describes an independent validation study for a suite of reusability metrics for component based design (CBD). We use an approach to metrics definition and collection that is different from the one originally proposed by the original authors. The metrics under validation were proposed using a semi-formal notation, namely a combination of mathematical formulae with natural language descriptions for elementary parts of those formulae. They were then computed using proprietary tools. In contrast, we will present a formalization for the metrics suite that combines the UML 2.0 metamodel with OCL. By using this technique, our contribution provides: (i) a formal, portable and executable definition of the metrics set that can be used by other researchers and practitioners to perform independent validations of the metrics suite; (ii) a prototype working environment to perform such independent validation experiments, both with this and other metrics sets.