Function‐point analysis using design specifications based on the Unified Modelling Language

Abstract

AbstractFunction‐point analysis was introduced to help measure the functionality of software systems. For more than a decade, function points have been widely used to measure the size of information systems, often as a part of estimating the effort required for software development and maintenance processes. Limiting the use of function point measurement have been concerns about variable judgements on the part of the personnel doing the measurement, yielding differences in function‐point measures for the same software product even in the same organization. Also, if an organization tries to introduce function‐point analysis, the process normally starts with measurements from the organization's own past software products—a time consuming task with start‐up costs. In this paper, we propose detailed function‐point analysis measurement rules using design specifications based on the Unified Modelling Language and describe a function‐point measurement tool, whose inputs are design specifications developed on Rational Rose®. Then in this paper, we report tool validation work on software involved in software evolution at an organization where we have applied the tool to actual design specifications and examined the differences between the function point values obtained by the tool and those of an experienced function point measurement specialist at the organization. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.