 FUNCTION POINT:

FPA provides a standardized method to functionally size the software work product. This work
product is the output of software new development and improvement projects for subsequent
releases. It is the software that is relocated to the production application at project
implementation. It measures functionality from the user’s point of view i.e. on the basis of
what the user requests and receives in return.

Function Point Analysis (FPA) is a method or set of rules of Functional Size Measurement. It
assesses the functionality delivered to its users, based on the user’s external view of the
functional requirements. It measures the logical view of an application, not the physically
implemented view or the internal technical view.

The Function Point Analysis technique is used to analyze the functionality delivered by
software and Unadjusted Function Point (UFP) is the unit of measurement.

Objectives of FPA:
 The objective of FPA is to measure the functionality that the user requests and receives.
 The objective of FPA is to measure software development and maintenance independently
of the technology used for implementation.
 It should be simple enough to minimize the overhead of the measurement process.
 It should be a consistent measure among various projects and organizations.

Types of FPA:

There are two types of functions −

 Data Functions
 Transaction Functions
Data Functions:

There are two types of data functions −

 Internal Logical Files

 External Interface Files

Data Functions are made up of internal and external resources that affect the system.

 Internal Logical Files:

Internal Logical File (ILF) is a user identifiable group of logically related data or control
information that resides entirely within the application boundary. The primary intent of an
ILF is to hold data maintained through one or more elementary processes of the application
being counted. An ILF has the inherent meaning that it is internally maintained, it has some
logical structure and it is stored in a file.

 Internal Logical File (ILF): A user identifiable group of logically related data or control
information maintained within the boundary of the application.

 External Interface Files:

External Interface File (EIF) is a user identifiable group of logically related data or control
information that is used by the application for reference purposes only. The data resides
entirely outside the application boundary and is maintained in an ILF by another application.
An EIF has the inherent meaning that it is externally maintained, an interface has to be
developed to get the data from the file.

 External Interface File (EIF): A group of users recognizable logically related data
allusion to the software but maintained within the boundary of another software.

Transaction Functions:

There are three types of transaction functions.

 External Inputs
 External Outputs
 External Inquiries
Transaction functions are made up of the processes that are exchanged between the user, the
external applications and the application being measured.

External Inputs (EI):

 EI processes data or control information that comes from outside the application’s
boundary. The EI is an elementary process.
 External Input (EI) is a transaction function in which Data goes “into” the application from
outside the boundary to inside. This data is coming external to the application.
 Data may come from a data input screen or another application.
 An EI is how an application gets information.
 Data can be either control information or business information.
 Data may be used to maintain one or more Internal Logical Files.
 If the data is control information, it does not have to update an Internal Logical File.

External Outputs (EO):

 EO is an elementary process that generates data or control information sent outside the
application’s boundary.
 External Output (EO) is a transaction function in which data comes “out” of the system.
Additionally, an EO may update an ILF. The data creates reports or output files sent to other
applications.

External Inquiries (EQ):

 EQ is an elementary process made up of an input-output combination that results in data

retrieval.

 External Inquiry (EQ) is a transaction function with both input and output components that
result in data retrieval.
OR
Benefits of FPA:
 FPA is a tool to determine the size of a purchased application package by counting all the
functions included in the package.
 It is a tool to help users discover the benefit of an application package to their organization
by counting functions that specifically match their requirements.
 It is a tool to measure the units of a software product to support quality and productivity
analysis.
 It is a vehicle to estimate the cost and resources required for software development and
maintenance.
 It is a normalization factor for software comparison.

The drawback of FPA:

 It requires a subjective evaluation and involves many judgements.
 Many cost and effort models are based on LOC, so it is necessary to change the function
points.
 Compared to LOC, there are less research data on function points.
 Run after creating the design spec.
 With subjective judgement, the accuracy rate of the assessment is low.
 Due to the long learning curve, it is not easy to gain proficiency.
 This is a very time-consuming method.
Risk Management:
A risk is a probable problem- it might happen or it might not. There are main two
characteristics of risk

Uncertainty- the risk may or may not happen that means there are no 100% risks.
loss – If the risk occurs in reality , undesirable result or losses will occur.

Risk management is a sequence of steps that help a software team to understand , analyze and
manage uncertainty. Risk management consists of

 Risk Identification
 Risk analysis
 Risk Planning
 Risk Monitoring

A computer code project may be laid low with an outsized sort of risk.
so as to be ready to consistently establish the necessary risks which could have an effect on
a computer code project, it’s necessary to reason risks into completely different categories.
The project manager will then examine the risks from every category square measure
relevant to the project.
 There are mainly 3 classes of risks that may have an effect on a computer code project:

1. Project Risks: Project risks concern various sorts of monetary funds, schedules, personnel,
resource, and customer-related issues. a vital project risk is schedule slippage. Since
computer code is intangible, it’s terribly tough to observe and manage a computer code
project. it’s terribly tough to manage one thing that can not be seen. For any producing
project, like producing cars, the project manager will see the merchandise taking form.
For example, see that the engine is fitted, at the moment the area of the door unit fitted, the
automotive is obtaining painted, etc. so he will simply assess the progress of the work and
manage it. The physical property of the merchandise being developed is a vital reason why
several computer codes come to suffer from the danger of schedule slippage.

2. Technical Risks: Technical risks concern potential style, implementation, interfacing,

testing, and maintenance issues. Technical risks conjointly embody ambiguous
specifications, incomplete specification, dynamic specification, technical uncertainty, and
technical degeneration. Most technical risks occur thanks to the event team’s lean
information concerning the project.
 3. Business Risks: This type of risk embodies the risks of building a superb product that
nobody needs, losing monetary funds or personal commitments, etc.

Classification of Risk in a project:

Example: Let us consider a satellite based mobile communication project. The project
manager can identify several risks in this project. Let us classify them appropriately.
 What if the project cost escalates and overshoots what was estimated? – Project Risk
 What if the mobile phones that are developed become too bulky in size to conveniently
carry? Business Risk
 What if call hand-off between satellites becomes too difficult to implement? Technical
Risk