Mechanisms for the generation and relaxation of stresses in thin films during deposition have been subject to extensive scientific research and technological tweaking. Stress evolution during film growth can be quite complex, and is best measured in real-time during the deposition process. The primary focus of this talk will be on the use of substrate curvature measurements, since this approach has the greatest degree of flexibility in its implementation. The use, limitations, and extensions of the Stoney equation, which relates substrate curvature to film stress, will be discussed. Methods for curvature measurement will be surveyed, with emphasis on a recently developed laser-deflection technique that is currently being applied to a wide range of thin film systems. I will present several instructive examples on the interpretation of real-time stress data obtained during the deposition of heteroepitaxial and polycrystalline thin films. Finally, a new spectroscopic light scattering technique will be introduced that provides real-time measurement of surface morphological evolution. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy under Contract DE-ACO4-94AL85000.