I recently gave a full-day tutorial at the Applications of Software Measurement Conference in San Diego, California, USA. Two statements from audience members spoke volumes on the dilemmas IT managers face: "I'd like to hear more on negotiation and less on metrics"; and "I can't do a thing about my deadlines. I also have little leverage regarding the number of people on my team. So I'm left with a monstrous negotiation problem."

At least in the IT world, it's true -- size matters. This issue revisits size metrics, which many IT organizations find perplexing. In an attempt to clear up the confusion, I've written "Eight Commonly Asked Questions About Size Metrics."

This issue continues discussions started in January on organizational learning and defect inspections, specifically focusing on organizational issues and how to deal with emotions and tensions in a high-pressure IT environment. The word metrics implies an objective, sterile view of our working world. The notion of benchmarks seems safe -- after all, they're simply charts and graphs that tell us the state of our IT programs.