A Proposal to Measure the Size of Software Help Methods

Details
Title
A Proposal to Measure the Size of Software Help Methods
Usage & Reproduction Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
Video recording
URI / Handle
http://hdl.handle.net/1961/muislandora:2988
Created
2015-01-01T00:00:00Z
Abstract
Most software applications can be considered data processing systems. It is critical for software development project managers to quantitatively measure the size (or the volume) of the data processing capacity of these systems to forecast their cost to develop and the time to develop them. This can help ensure strong cost and other strong project management controls during the software development process. One standard unit of software data processing capacity size is called the “function point.” It is a measure of the flow and storage of data through the software. Function points correlate well with the work effort to develop them. The International Function Point Users Group’s (IFPUG) method for sizing functional characteristics of software, called IFPUG function points, is accepted internationally as ISO standard ISO/IEC 20926:2009. In the Fall of 2012, the IFPUG Non-functional Sizing Standards Committee (NFSSC) completed its beta test of version 2.0 of a new software metric designed to complement function points, called the Software Non-functional Assessment Process (SNAP). The beta test conclusion was that non-functional characteristics of software, as measured by this SNAP process, correlated with the corresponding work effort to the degree of r2 = .89, with the exception of one sub-category, the Help Methods non-functionality. There has been no satisfactory solution to finding a way to correlate Help Methods non-functionality with the work effort to develop it. This represents a gap in the SNAP methodology which needs to be closed. The purpose of this research is to hypothesize a method to close the Help Method gap in the current SNAP methodology with the following goals: 1. Define and provide examples of various non-functional forms of Help Methods hypothesized for this proposed sizing approach that are inherent in software. 2. Propose how to measure their size using tables, formulas or any other measurement, similar to those in the current SNAP Assessment Practices Manual version 2.2 (APM). 3. Proposed how to test the correlation between the proposed size and work effort to develop the corresponding Help Methods. 4. Write a proposed subcategory of the APM to potentially replace the current Help Methods subcategory should the correlation prove statistically significant. This project is important to begin the process of establishing a statistically significant way of sizing software Help Methods, especially to improve the capability of software development managers to forecast their development costs and schedules. The outcome of this project is to deliver an academic Proposal for research. The proposal will be reviewed by the Non-functional Sizing Standards Committee, and Marymount, before actual research is conducted. If approved, then the proposed research will be conducted and hopefully the IFPUG SNAP Assessment Practices Manual will eventually be improved with a new Help Methods sizing methodology.

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