• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
programming forums Java Mobile Certification Databases Caching Books Engineering Micro Controllers OS Languages Paradigms IDEs Build Tools Frameworks Application Servers Open Source This Site Careers Other Pie Elite all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
Marshals:
  • Campbell Ritchie
  • Tim Cooke
  • paul wheaton
  • Jeanne Boyarsky
  • Ron McLeod
Sheriffs:
  • Paul Clapham
  • Liutauras Vilda
  • Devaka Cooray
Saloon Keepers:
  • Tim Holloway
  • Roland Mueller
Bartenders:

Function Point Analysis

 
Greenhorn
Posts: 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
What is the importance of Function Point Analysis and its impact on Propject Execution Phase?
 
author
Posts: 14112
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I've never used FPA, but from what I've heard, it's a complex process to come up with a project estimate that is roughly equivalent in reliability to a gut feel guess of an expert.
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 52
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Ilja Preuss:
I've never used FPA, but from what I've heard, it's a complex process to come up with a project estimate that is roughly equivalent in reliability to a gut feel guess of an expert.



It�s correct when you say "a process to come up with a project estimate"! Estimate of effort (mens by hour), for example, to have some project concluded in a give schedule.

I do not agree when you say "it�s a complex process"! As any discipline you need to learn some theory to deal with.

For the same pourpose, there is the COCOMO (Constructive Cost Model) methodology.

You can also try to get project estimates through statistical methods. And this is what I call complex way.

PS: sorry for my bad english!
 
Rafael Fagundes
Ranch Hand
Posts: 52
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Rafael Fagundes:


It�s correct when you say "a process to come up with a project estimate"! Estimate of effort (mens by hour), for example, to have some project concluded in a give schedule.

I do not agree when you say "it�s a complex process"! As any discipline you need to learn some theory to deal with.

For the same pourpose, there is the COCOMO (Constructive Cost Model) methodology.

You can also try to get project estimates through statistical methods. And this is what I call complex way.

PS: sorry for my bad english!



I forgot something: does not mether the methodology you choose! Only the experience will improve your capability to estimate project variables.

Back on FPA question, I guess that the schedule for each resource on the developing team it�s the mether of the methodology on the execution phase.
 
Greenhorn
Posts: 14
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
There are several ways to do estimates ... analogous (gut feeling), expert judegment (very strong gut feeling), parameteric estimating, and then PERT (3-pt estimates).

Some organizations have come up with very good "science" for estimation (especially the outsource and contracting companies).

Estimates are import (both time and cost) but during execution and M&C of a project the EVM (earned value method) is more important to track the health of the project against the baseline.

Conrad
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 59
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I would voice a slightly different opinion. From what I know, function points or use case points are techniques used to define the size of a system. I will not say that they are complex, because the original set of rules to perform is not complicated, but the process could be tedious, as you have to do an "inventory" of all the components of your (existing or future) system. In new software development projects, you will then try to estimate the effort needed to realize the system based on the size. But if you have a team of unknown developers using a new technology, knowing the "size" of the system will not help you so much to estimate the effort ;o)

Franck.
 
Greenhorn
Posts: 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Function Point Analysis (FPA) is a method to measure software size by quantifying the functionality provided to the user. The measure relates directly to the business requirements that the software is intended to address. Knowing the software size is the first step to determine the effort and costs related to the project.

With FPA, developers can achieve the assigned tasks by the given target date due to more accurate estimating. Of course, to improve your estimate you will need to consider factors as development type, platform, language, experience of the team, etc.
 
Greenhorn
Posts: 12
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Originally posted by Conrad D'Cruz:
There are several ways to do estimates ... analogous (gut feeling), expert judegment (very strong gut feeling), parameteric estimating, and then PERT (3-pt estimates).

Some organizations have come up with very good "science" for estimation (especially the outsource and contracting companies).

Estimates are import (both time and cost) but during execution and M&C of a project the EVM (earned value method) is more important to track the health of the project against the baseline.

Conrad



With respect to your good list of ways to do estimates, let me add that Analogous estimates may also include using past, similar projects to get the Activity estimates for a current project. In this example, they are not "gut feeling".

B Davis
 
Author
Posts: 81
6
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
You won't see function point analysis specifically on the PMP exam. But FPA does have a place in the material on the PMP exam and the PMBOK(r) Guide -- it's a form of analogous estimation, which is a technique that's part of the Activity Duration Estimating process. The reason that FPA is a form of analogous estimation is that you take function point information about your current project and compare it to benchmark data that's been gathered based on previous projects. (COCOMO is also an analogous estimation technique for the same reasons.)

(Also, some people mistakenly think that FPA is actually a form of parametric estimation, and not analogous estimation. But for the PMP exam, parametric estimation generally just involves multiplying the quantity of work by some kind of productivity rate.)
 
Conrad D'Cruz
Greenhorn
Posts: 14
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
B Davis,

Point well taken ... Yes analagous estimates also include estimates from lessons learned and other Organizational Process Assets.

... so not just gut feelings ... besides ya know what they say about gut feelings ... 90% (parametric estimate) of the time it is just gas ...

Cheers
Conrad
 
Every snowflake is perfect and unique. And every snowflake contains a very tiny ad.
Smokeless wood heat with a rocket mass heater
https://woodheat.net
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic