Tom, Jan, and Julie are IS majors at Great State University. These students have
ID: 466330 • Letter: T
Question
Tom, Jan, and Julie are IS majors at Great State University. These students have been assigned to a class project by one of their professors, requiring them to develop a new Web-based system to collect and unique information on the IS program’s alumni. This system will be used by the IS graduates to enter job and address information as they graduate, and then make changes to that information as they change jobs and/or address. Their professor also has a number of queries that she is interested in being able to implement. Based on their preliminary discussions with their professor, the students have developed this list of system elements: Inputs: 1 low complexity, 2 medium complexity, 1 high complexity. Outputs: 4 medium complexity. Queries: 1 low complexity, 4 medium complexity, 2 high complexity. Files: 3 medium complexity. Program interfaces: 2 medium complexity. Assum that an adjusted project project complexity factor of 1.2 is appropriate for this project. Culculate the total adjusted function points for this project.Explanation / Answer
The function point approach is an estimating technique that can be used to estimate the size of the new system,the efforts that will be required to complete the system and the time the project willl require.This approach requires detailed knowlwdge of system to be developed.
When the knowledge is available ,the function point approach produces a much more precise estimate for the project than the industry standard method.
Step1.Estimate system size.The first step is to estimate the size of the project by using function points,a concept developed in 1979 by Allen of IBM.A function point is a measure of program size that is based on system's number and complexity of inputs,outputs,queries,files and program interfaces.
Step 2:Estimate effort required:Total efforts required to complete a particular task is estimated.
Step 3:Estimate time required:How much time the project is goin to take in completion is estimated.
Sometimes a shortcut is used to determine the complexity of the project.Instead of calculating exact APC score for the 14 factors listed,project managers estimate an APC value taht ranges from 0.65 for very simple systems to 1.0 for normal systems to as much as 1.35 for complex systems.
The estimated APC score is then applied to the TUFP to complete the TAFP.
For example,a very simple system that has 200 unadjusted points would have the size of 130 adjusted function points (200*0.65=130).
however,if the system with 200 unadjusted function points were very complex,its function point size would be 270(200*1.35=270).
In the planning phase the exact nature of the system has not yet been determined,so its impossible to know exactly how many inputs,outputs and so forth will be in the system.
Strong partnerships spanning campus communications and IT organizations, various schools, and the university's central administration—as well as the core belief that we are co-developing these solutions with, and not simply for, our audiences—have buttressed our approach. Although there is no one simple roadmap for all higher education institutions, we laid out five steps that can ensure a solid foundation on which to build: