These questions are very much in the air at the moment and concern more that the present authors. It is the word 'measurement' here that is the key.
Engineers measure things.
They measure before they build. They measure their design's success and on the basis of this measurement, identify possible improvements. It is with this process of measurement and analysis that the current text is concerned. An academic book, it is not for the faint hearted, full of theoretical perspectives, well thought out, clearly presented and with apparent rigor. Measurement is considered in the context of project planning, requirements, design, validation and risk analysis, software testing, costing, reliability, human factors, re-engineering and maintenance.