A Software Development Company Is Designing an Evaluation Plan for Its

question 228

Short Answer

A software development company is designing an evaluation plan for its software programmers. The company feels that changes are necessary because it lacks the facts it needs to distinguish outstanding software programmers from those that are only average, or worse. Previously, the company paid software programmers a flat salary and based evaluations on supervisors' opinions. Now, however, the company is considering the following measures for its software programmers:
Measurement Strategy Alpha: Software programmers will be evaluated based on the total number of lines of code that they produce.
Measurement Strategy Beta: Software programmers will be evaluated based on their ability to produce computer code that is free of errors.
Measurement Strategy Gamma: Software programmers will be evaluated based on the market success of the products they produce.
A decision to use Measurement Strategy Beta would assume which of the following?
Software errors are more common than hardware errors.
Software errors affect all users equally.
The impact of software errors has been greater recently.
When a software error occurs, its effects are always clear to the final user of the product.
When a software error is discovered, it is possible to determine who is responsible for it.

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Definitions:

Ungenerous Person

An individual who is not willing to give or share things, especially money, freely or in a way that shows kindness.

Subjective Utility

An individual's perceived value or satisfaction obtained from choosing a particular action, often used in economic and psychological models of decision making.

Expected Value

Is the predicted value of a variable, calculated as the sum of all possible values each multiplied by the probability of its occurrence.

Service Contract

A legally binding agreement between two or more parties where one agrees to provide a specified service to the other for a payment.