CHARISMATEK Software Metrics announces the release of the Function Point WORKBENCH™ Release 7.0

An Australian company with an international reputation in Function Point Analysis, and software project cost modelling continues to thrive in Melbourne, Australia.

CHARISMATEK Software Metrics provides specialist estimating, cost modelling, comparative performance analysis and benchmarking services to Australian clients and selected overseas organisations for software delivery projects.

This expertise is encapsulated and supported by the software sizing, analysis and reporting tool that is the Function Point WORKBENCH™. The latest release of its industry leading function point sizing, analysis and reporting tool – the Function Point WORKBENCH™ Release 7.0 – once again offers a thought provoking array of capabilities.

The WORKBENCH facilitates the creation and application of a delivery-based model of the software, utilising the Function Point Analysis assessment technique. The software models and reporting capabilities within the WORKBENCH provide a real opportunity for practical, meaningful and effective dialogue between all project stakeholders and enable clients to directly address the real issues leading to blown software budgets and abandoned projects.

The WORKBENCH Release 7.0 offers a host of new, easy to use features to expand the existing capability. These include, for example, specialist project and portfolio sizing functions that are smart enough to work from what you already know to quickly determine an "order of magnitude" size of an existing system flagged for replacement or asset valuation. Productivity and benchmark reporting is enabled by integration with SMR (from Q/P Management Group). New reports provide even more views of your project. And, of course, there are yet more ways to count function points "smarter and faster".

Existing clients with maintenance are eligible for free upgrades to the Function Point WORKBENCH™ Release 7.0. If you are an existing client and you haven't already received information about this new release, you should contact CHARISMATEK on +61(0)3 9696 1255 or at support@charismatek.com.

Background Information

The Function Point WORKBENCH™ is the world's leading tool for managing size, performing Function Point Analysis and related communication and analysis. Through persistent quality and innovation, the WORKBENCH has retained its lead over many competitive attempts to match some of its capabilities.  Supported by both direct client contact and reseller recommendations - CHARISMATEK has partners in the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, Austria, Brazil and throughout the USA - the Function Point WORKBENCH™ is renowned as the professional's tool for optimising the business benefits of Function Point Analysis.

Recent versions have massively extended the capabilities of the WORKBENCH to meet more overall business needs associated with sizing and estimation. The ability to forecast from your own history, for example, is a key differentiating capability.  So too are the new features in Release 7.0 that include:

• Recording of Summary Counts: The capability of recording Summary Counts is important for organisations who set up their measurement programs with approximated counts for the Application Portfolio Baseline or who make 'order of magnitude' estimated counts early in the software project development life cycle.
   

• Function Point Size Approximation: Project and application function point size can be approximated from counts of physical software artefacts. This size approximation method is very much faster, and therefore less costly, than performing a detailed count. This is particularly useful for software asset valuation and software portfolio sizing. The approximated size is stored as a Summary Function Point count which can then be reported and analysed along with existing Detailed Counts.
   

• Productivity Reporting: Project function point counts are combined with actual and estimated effort, cost and schedule data to generate a range of productivity benchmarking reports in Software Management Reporting (SMR) tool from CHARISMATEK's partner organisation, Q/P Management Group.
   

• XML Import and Export: A function point count, along with all its associated information, can be imported and exported as an XML document. This XML interface serves as an effective mechanism for exchanging function point count data between WORKBENCH databases and other software tools.
   

• Microsoft Office Integration: All standard and user customisable reports generated using the WORKBENCH's reporting component, Publisher, can output in .doc, .xls, .htm and .mht formats for easy incorporation into the Microsoft Office suite.
   

• Enhanced Function Point Analysis Workspace: The WORKBENCH's workspace incorporates a range of productivity enhancements including a new list view of the Transaction Hierarchy, an enhanced and directly maintainable File List and searching, filtering and sorting on all lists.

The Function Point WORKBENCH™ Release 7.0
For all the people who count.

For further information see What's New in Function Point WORKBENCH™ Release 7.0 or email CHARISMATEK at support@charismatek.com.