Functional Sizing and Function Points - used both alone and with other metrics - can deliver an astonishing amount of useful information to all levels of your organisation about your software management and software delivery processes.

Here are some ways in which Function Points can be used.

Use Function Points to:

Assess the size and value of the software asset base of your corporation. Track the change in size and value over time and continuing investment. Calculate replacement value of your software.

Profile the applications in your software asset base. Use this to determine how well your software investment supports the business of your organisation.

Benchmark your software delivery. Measure and compare the different rates and costs of delivery for software development, enhancement and package installation for your various platforms. Use these for evaluating alternate approaches, developing project estimates or validating external estimates.

Monitor the effectiveness of your software delivery strategies. Analyse the trends in your delivery rates against your different platforms, methodologies, tools and techniques.
Determine the current investment in technologies across your application systems. Profile, for example, languages employed against system size and use this to refine perspective on resource skills needed to support your current software.

Analyse your software development projects objectively. Negotiate functionality and delivery schedules with your clients.

Uncover 'hidden functionality' in your projects early in the life cycle. Use the discipline of the sizing process to establish project scope unambiguously so that estimates can be based on better information.
Assess project risk. Compare overall project size with industry tables showing risk of project failure associated with size. Evaluate project risk in terms of the level of confidence you have in your understanding of project requirements.

Monitor and control 'creeping functionality' in your software projects. Assess function point size as often as you wish during the project and especially during feasibility study, after the requirements definition and after design specification. Use any change in 'project size' to support the review of resource allocation and delivery dates.

Assess the quality of your delivered software. Record trends in the number of software 'bugs' per function point delivered to the user to give an overall evaluation of your software quality.
Appraise the effectiveness of your software support strategies. Plot support resources against system size and compare with industry achievements. Abnormally high support resources may indicate the need for rework, restructuring or redevelopment.
Assess value of purchased software. Compare cost per function point of purchased software against development costs to determine most cost effective strategy.

Contact CHARISMATEK Software Metrics to discuss how Functional Sizing and the Function Point WORKBENCH™ software tool can assist you with quantitative data for input to your IT Business Decisions.

Some Function Point WORKBENCH™ Users: IBM, MasterCard International, Dresdner Bank AG, Infosys, AXA, INSIEL, DHL, Austrian Airlines, Kommunedata, Bank of Canada, Deutsche Bank, CSC, National Westminster Bank, EDS, Motorola, AMP, Southern California Edison, AT&T, General Motors, ESCOM, Lloyds of London, DMR, Target, PTT Telecom, Siemens

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