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According to PLCopen, an independent worldwide organization providing efficiency in industrial automation, measuring software characteristics using metrics is already available for control software in machine and plant 
manufacturing, with many platform providers already supporting these approaches with commercial static code analysis tools in their programming environments. The organization contends that in practice, however, quality assessment is mostly based on the experience of software developers.
PLCopen believes that quantitative quality indicators hold great potential to support developers in their experience-based decision-making by objectifying code. From a management perspective, software metrics may serve as quantitative indicators to justify the initial higher cost of software quality or to establish the basis for a cross-company benchmark.
The organization’s newly released Guideline on Software Quality Metrics provides support for integrating a metric-based quality assessment of PLC control software, supporting different stakeholders in the software engineering workflow in machine and plant manufacturing companies. The guidelines specifically focus on measuring software maintainability, reusability, testability, efficiency, and reliability with a focus on the following static code analysis tools for software metrics: CODESYS Static Analysis, Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Machine Code Analysis, Schneider Electric – Control Engineering Verification (formerly Itris PLC Checker), and Software Improvement Group Sigrid
The guideline is geared towards professionals in the fields of machine and plant manufacturing who are looking for a starting point for incorporating software quality metrics into their workflows. The guideline focuses on IEC 61131-3-compliant control software running on industrial controllers like PLCs, with a primary focus on the boundary conditions in machine and plant manufacturing. The organization anticipates that certain aspects may be adapted to other fields of PLC applications, such as building automation or construction machinery.
The guideline document is available from PLCopen at this link.