I did a course of Function Point count years ago...we use it for a client of ours...althought it is being phased out somewhat...
Here's the first thing we were told...and quote: "Definition of Function Points: - Function Points are a unit of measure - Function Points measure the work product of software development - The work-product is expressed in terms of functionality as seen by the customer - Function points DO NOT MEASURE the internal architectural or technological complexity of an application" There are there types of function point counts (FPC) (representing work done by developers): - Development (new development project) - Enhancement (enhancement to an existing application) - Application (counting an existing installed application) It is complex topic and more than a bit off-topic for this forum...also a very very dry subject. *Yawn* ;-) "Advantages of Function Points: - Based on well-defined counting standards - Based of the customer's logical perspective - Applicable to new development, enhancements and maintenance - Independent of technology and languages - A consistent sizing metric" It's not for everyone, but FPC has its place. Regards, David -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Bob Dubery Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 9:24 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Productivity metrics Hi all, IBM initiated a metric called "Function Points" that attempts to provide a means for measuring programming tools by the amount of code that has to be written in order to produce a program of a certain complexity. There have been several studies by which programming languages have been ranked in terms of lines of code (LOC) per function point (FP) Smalltalk, for example, is reckoned to have a ratio of 20 LOC per FP. Java and C++ come in around the 50 mark. Is anybody aware of studies that have applied this kind of scoring to the BASIC used in MV databases, or any other study that seeks to rank programming languages in terms of programmer producivity and that includes MV BASIC? Thanks Bob -- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.oliver.com/mailman/listinfo/u2-users