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Consider the following example:

In this example, it is assumed that the same functionality is implemented in Assembly and Ada. As coding in Assembly is much more difficult and time consuming as compared to Ada, it takes more time and it is also lengthy. Because there is a huge difference in the code size in terms of Lines of Code, the cost per line in case of Assembly is much less as compared to Ada. Hence coding in Assembly appears to be more cost effective than Ada while in reality it is not. This is a paradox!

Function Point Analysis – A Brief History and Usage

In the mid 70′s, IBM felt the need to establish a more effective and better measure of system size to predict the delivery of software. It commissioned Allan Albrecht to lead this effort. As a result he developed this approach which today known as the Function Point Analysis. After several years of internal use, Albrecht introduced the methodology at a joint/share conference. From 1979 to 1984 continued statistical analysis was performed on the method and refinements were made. At that point, a non-profit organization by the name of International Function Point User Group (IFPUG) was formed which formally took onto itself the role of refining and defining the counting rules. The result is the function point methodology that we use today.

Since 1979, when Albrecht published his first paper on FP, its popularity and use has been increasing consistently and today it is being used as a de facto standard for software measurement.

Following is a short list of organizations using FP for estimation:

1. IEEE recommends it for use in productivity measurement and reporting.
2. Several governments including UK, Canada, and Hong Kong have been using it and it has been recommended to these governments that all public sector project use FP as a standard for the measurement of the software size.
3. Government of the Australian state Victoria has been using FP since 1997 for managing and outsourcing projects to the tune of US$ 50 Million every year.
4. In the US several large government departments including IRS have adopted FP analysis as a standard for outsourcing, measurement, and control of software projects.
5. A number of big organizations including Digital Corporation and IBM have been using FP for their internal use for the last many years.

Usage of FP includes:

• Effort Scope Estimation
• Project Planning
• Determine the impact of additional or changed requirements
• Resource Planning/Allocation
• Benchmarking and target setting
• Contract Negotiations

Following is a list of some of the FP based metrics used for these purposes:

• Size – Function Points
• Defects – Per Function Point
• Effort – Staff-Months
• Productivity – Function Points per Staff-Month
• Duration – Schedule (Calendar) Months
• Time Efficiency – Function Points per Month
• Cost – Per Function