For more information about FSM, visit ASMA (Australian Software Metrics Association)
McRae IT supports the international repostiory of software metrics based in Melbourne (ISBSG)
See also southernSCOPE, a government sponsored approach for delivering software reliably.
Functional Size Measurement is being increasingly used by organizations across the world to establish the baseline size of software projects. It is also becoming more common for outsourcers to use the FSM approach as part of contractual obligations.
Baselining an organisation's level of performance has become a standard industry practice, particularly in companies in which IT organisations are required to track and improve their delivery of products and services relative to improved time to market, cost reduction and overall customer satisfaction.
Particularly in an outsourcing arrangement, the customer is concerned with monitoring the functionality being delivered, the development time and the development cost. Whilst there are ongoing variables to be considered: such as skill set of the workers, types of techniques used and the complexity of the technology, the unit of work measure does not alter. If the contract states that 3 reports are to be produced, that is what is produced. Each report is valued at a certain number of function points. Associated complexities are taken on board as part of the contract price.
If a tender goes out to industry for 2000 function points. That is what is quoted upon, the efficiency with which the project is completed is the responsibility of the successful tenderer.
Functional Size Measurement centres around its ability to measure the size of any software deliverable in logical, user-oriented terms. Rather than counting lines of code, FSM measures the functionality being delivered to the end user.
If a client wishes to keep a lid on the ballooning costs of a software project, McRae IT will use functional size measurement as part of an overall project delivery strategy