Functional Size Measurement: A Framework for Effective Software Project Estimation, Management and Control

For many members of the software delivery community, their view of Functional Size Measurement (or Function Point Analysis) is limited to understanding it as a technique that delivers a number of Function Points for a software project that can be used for benchmarking delivery productivity or, possibly, as an aid to augment an existing project estimation process.

This limited view often makes it very hard to justify in a cost-benefit analysis the necessary investment required to implement a Functional Size Measurement program. And, anyway, if all that Functional Size Measurement can deliver is an indication of how productive a project was 'after it has been completed', the view that Functional Size Measurement is simply not worth the investment, would probably not seem to be unreasonable!

This presentation, however, counters this limited view of the role of Functional Size Measurement. It outlines, instead, how Functional Size Measurement can be effectively and 'easily' used to deliver a range of real benefits to software developers and clients throughout the software delivery process. Functional Size Measurement's role is extended to address the following important issues:

• Software Requirements Negotiation and Clarification
• Project Risk Identification and Mitigation
• Early Life Cycle Estimation, Solution Cost Impact Analysis and Business Case Alignment
• Scope Management and Control
• Rework Identification and Impact Analysis
•  Budget and Schedule Monitoring and Update

For each of these issues, the presentation outlines the role that Functional Size Measurement can play and provides real-life examples where it has already been successfully applied.

Meeting Notes: 

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