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(A) How can you estimate number of acceptance test cases in a project?

20-25 % of total effort can be allocated to testing phase. Test cases are non-deterministic.

That means if test passes it takes “X” amount of time and if it does not then to amend it

take “Y” amount of time.

Final Quotation

One programmer will sit on the project with around 1000 $ salary / Month. So his 10.6 days salary comes to 341 dollars approx. The upper quotation format is in its simplest format. Every company has his quotation format accordingly. So no hard and fast rule of quotation template. But still if interested http://www.microsoft.com/mac/resources/

templates.aspx?pid=templates has good collection of decent templates.

                                           Table – Final bill

CustomerSampleFP.xls is provided with the CD which has all estimation details which

you can refer for practical approach.

GSC Acceptance in Software industry

GSC factors have been always a controversial topic. Most of the software companies do

not use GSC, rather than they base line UAFP or construct there own table depending on

company project history. ISO has also adopted function point as unit of measurement,

but they also use UAFP rather than AFP. Let’s do a small experiment to view relationship

between FP, AFP, GSC and VAF. In this experiment we will assume UAFP = 120 and then lot graph with GSC increment of five. So the formulae is VAF = 0.65 + (GS/100).

Here’s the table with every five incremental values in formulae and plot.

Table   :- GSC acceptance

Figure: - FP versus VAF

The following are the observation from the table and plot:-

• Graph is linear. It also captures that nature of complexity is linear.
•  If the GSC value is zero then VAF is 0.65. So the graph starts from

             UAFP*0.65.GSC = 35 AFP = UAFP. So the VAF = 1.

• When GSC < 35 then AFP < UAFP. That means complexity decreases.
• When GSC > 35 then AFP > UAFP. That means complexity increases.

Readers must be wondering why 0.65? There are fourteen GSC factor from zero to five.

So the maximum value of VAF = 0.65 + (70/100) = 1.35. In order that VAF does not

have any affect i.e. UAFP = FP VAF should be one. VAF will be one when GSC is 35 i.e. half of 70. So in order to complete value “1” value “0.65” is taken. Note value is 0.35

when GSC is 35 to complete the one factor “0.65” is required.

But following is the main problem related to GSC. GSC is applied throughout FP even

when some GSC does not apply to whole function points. Here’s the example to demonstrate GSC problem.

Let’s take 11th GSC factor “installation ease”. The project is of 100 UAFP and there is

no consideration of installation previously by client so the 11th factor is zero.

Table   : GSC with installation ease zero

VAF = 0.65 + (18/100) = 0.83. So the FP = 100 * 0.83 = 83 Function Points. But later

the client demanded for full blown installation for the project with auto updating when

new version is released. So we change out GSC table with installation ease to 5.

                                           Table  :- GSC with Installation ease 5

So VAF = 0.65 + (23/100) = 0.88 so the FP = 100 * 0.88 = 88. The difference is of only

5 FP which from no way a proper effort estimate. To make an auto updation for a software versioning can no way be done in 5 function points , just think downloading new version, deleting the old version , updating any database structure changes etc etc. So that’s the reason GSC is not accepted in software industry. Best ways is baseline you’re UAFP and make your estimation on base of UAFP.

Enhancement Function Points

Major software project fail not because of programmer’s or project managers but due to

moody and changing customers. In one of our huge projects we had good programmers,

very enthusiastic. The project started of well but customer called ten times in a day to

change something or other. Believe me programmers get pissed if the customer is changing his plans every fortnight. Well from this book point of view we have to evaluate this changes which can be addition or deletion of requirements. Function point group has

come out with a methodology called as “Enhancement Function Points”.

Down is the formulae

ADD: - This is new function points added. This value is achieved by counting all new EP

(Elementary process) given in change request.

CHGA: - Function points which are affected due to CR. This value is achieved by counting

all DET, FTR, ILF, EI, EO and EQ which are affected. Do not count elements which are

not affected.

VAFA: - This is VAF factor which is because of CR. Example previously the application

was desktop and now is changed to web so the GSC factor is affected.

DELFP: - When CR is for removing some functionality this value is counted. It’s rare that customer removes functionalities (at least in India), but if they ever estimator has to take note of it by counting the deleted elementary process.

If you want to buy the project management book mail [email protected]  for more details or call any of our book shops MUMBAI-22078296/97/022-22070989, KOLKATA-22826518/19 HYDERABAD-24756967,24756400,BANGALORE-25587923, 25584641,AHMEDABAD-26421611,BHATINA(PUNJAB)-2237387,CHENNAI-28410796,28550491,DELHI/NEWDELHI-23254990/91,23325760,26415092,24691288.If you want to write to the author directly email at [email protected]
 

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