Function Point Analysis: Measurement Practices for Successful Software Projects

by David Herron and David Garmus

Function Point Analysis: Measurement Practices for Successful Software Projects is a comprehensive presentation of the principles of function point analysis (FPA) and a guide to its effective use in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201699443
• ISBN13: 9780201699449
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Guide to Function Point Analysis

Published in 2001, this is a very detailed book on Function Points that follows the guidelines in the 4.1 version of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) standard. Function Point metrics originated in IBM back in the 1970's and spread slowly out to the rest of the world in the late 70's and early 80's. As with anything originating from IBM, it's a process that's heavy on detail and requires a lot of work to get it right. Over the years, FPA has got more and more technical, to the extent that you really need to get certified in it these days (when I first took an FPA course in the early 80's, it wasn't nearly as comprehensive as it is these days, 20 years on..). The authors of this book between them have published a number of articles on the subject and have more than a few years of experience under their respective belts. The book kicks off with an overview that provides a useful introduction for those "new" to software estimation, although it's still pretty heavy going and it assumes a process-heavy background. If you've worked for a large organization with a comprehensive PMBOK-like methodology, it'll all make sense. If not, you're going to have a headache by the time you finish the first chapter. . There's some good advice on preparing for IFPUG (International Function Point User Group) certification and the authors emphasize the fact that FP counting should only be performed by certified counters. IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO REITERATE - FP counting should only be performed by certified counters!!!! Keep this in your mind at all times. FPA is "Estimating-Heavy", not estimating-light. It don't come cheap in time or education. The other reviewers have covered the content in enough detail that it's rather pointless to reiterate - suffice it to say I agree with their comments on the content. So, cutting to the chase, if you're looking at books on Function Point Analysis, you've obviously got a serious interest in estimating, and if so, and if FPA is where you want to go, this book is going to be very useful for you as a reference and as a guide. On the other hand, FPA is, while accurate if applied correctly (the nub of the matter.....), both time and expertise intensive - I can't emphasis the expertise factor enough. You need a sizable project with a budget sufficient to fund the additional overhead to make it worthwhile - for your average development project, this is overkill. If you've got a $50-$100 million plus project within the grasp of our sticky little paws and you can get a certified FPA resource on board, using FPA may very well help you stay within your rather sizable budget. And if your're studying towards your FPA certification, by all means delve into this book - it'll help you no end. But having been there and done that in my past, don't try this at home kids. This book is a great resource, you'll learn all about FPA from it, but reading the book is a completely different kettle of fish to actually doing it. As another re

Still the Best Book Available

Even though dated, this is still the best book on Function Points available in the English language. It complies with the 4.1 version of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) standard, while the current version is 4.2. Nevertheless, the book contains many interesting hints and examples not available in the standard. You may also want to buy the IFPUG Counting Practices Manual - the official reference - directly from the International Function Point Users Group.

An excellent companion through the complete process

This is a really useful book. It's a must if you need to look deep into the Function Point Analysis and get a clear understanding of what this is all about. As a professional and local instructor in Function Point Analysis I've got a lot of inspiration from this book for my course. I believe that beginners would gain even more from this book, however. It covers all topics from the current IFPUG Function Point Counting Practices Manual (release 4.1). It guides you all the way through the whole process and presents a lot of examples and additional explanations on the way.Beside the operational guidelines this book also describe the Function Point Analysis in the perspective of related topics as e.g. estimation and benchmarking. Those topics are covered very thoroughly as well and the book provides a good insight in how Function Points can be used as a management tool.In the last chapters "hot issues" as applying Function Points to GUI applications and OO-system development are discussed. Some very useful guidelines are presented here, indeed. But it's my personal experience that mapping OO components to the Function Point concept might be quite more challenging that the book indicates.

Excellent Description and Great for CFP Candidates

This is an authoritative book by two authors who have a published a large number of articles on the subject.Function point analysis is, in both my experience and opinion, one of the most accurate estimating tools a software engineer has at his or her disposal. I have previously used the constructive cost model (COCOMO) through version 2, Raleigh curves, and hybrids such as Software Estimation Analysis Tool, which computes both COCOMO and function point statistics. Granted, not all of these estimating models are equal - the Raleigh curve approach has a focus on quality and manpower loading that the others lack. But each (and many I have not cited) are estimating tools for software development.My experience shows function point analysis to be the most accurate - if done correctly. Therein lies the crux of the matter. Function point analysis, in order to yield accurate estimates of effort, needs to be performed by certified counters and the resulting data needs to be properly interpreted. That's where this book comes in.It starts with an overview that serves as an understandable introduction for someone who is new to software estimation, yet is interesting enough to hold the attention of more experienced professionals. The advice on preparing for IFPUG (International Function Point User Group) certification is a highlight and underscores the fact that FP counting should only be performed by certified counters.The chapters on software measurement and executive introduction to function points are really extensions of the introduction. I found both the software measurement model in this chapter, and how to establish a world class measurement program interesting and informative.This segues into three chapters that cover measuring and using function points, and industry benchmarks. Some highlights are the way the authors tie function points to key performance indicators such as productivity, quality, financial and maintenance. I also liked the way that the authors stratify the users of function point data into project managers, IT managers and cross-organizational stakeholders. I was particularly interested in the last group because I am often involved in both service and application delivery projects. The use of function points as a basis for service level metrics and outsourcing is an intriguing idea that I will explore further. When you arrive at chapter 6 the foundation built in the first five chapters prepare you for a detailed, methodical approach to performing function point analysis. This is straightforward and appears to be completely consistent with IFPUG. All you need to know about function point analysis is, in my opinion, provided in the remainder of the book. The material is augmented by case studies, and also addresses contemporary issues such as applying function point analysis to object-oriented, web, client/server and data warehouse applications. While each of these topics are not given in-depth treatment the fact that they