Guest Editor's Introduction: Seventh International Software Metrics Symposium.

Software metrics have matured considerably during the last decade. There is still a lot to be done, but the progress during the last decade is obvious. The field has moved from being very much focused on measurement as such, for example, proposing new metrics, to study the application of measurement in software engineering, for example, empirical studies evaluating some method or technique. The pressure on delivering software products with the right functionality, on time, within budget and with the right quality means that there is a constant need for being able to measure success criteria are fulfilled. Measurement is needed to support, among other issues, understanding, monitoring, control, management, evaluation, improvement and predictability of all aspects related to software development. In order for software engineering to become a true engineering discipline, measurement and quantitative assessment are crucial. The articles included in the special section are very good examples of how software engineering is moving in this direction.