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An Experimental Study on the Reliability of COSMIC Measurement Results

In this paper, we present the results of a functional software size measurement experiment. We have conducted this experiment to analyze variances in functional software size measurement results among individuals. We aimed to isolate the factors that cause these variances. At the end of the study, statistical results are displayed. Common measurement problems were presented including their causes. And finally factors leading to discrepancies were identified based on these findings.

Reliability of COSMIC Functional Size Measurement Results: A Multiple Case Study on Industry Cases

Accuracy of the functional size is critical in software project management, since functional size is the most prevalent input for effort and cost estimation models. Functional size measurement is performed based on standardized manuals; however, the accuracy of FSM results is still based on the knowledge and cautions of the measurers. In this study we performed a multiple case study to identify the reliability of COSMIC and to observe the frequently encountered errors during functional size measurement. Problems in the individual learning process and the clarity of the guidelines are distinguished as the two main causes that impact the accuracy of the measurement results.

The Effect of Entity Generalization on Software Functional Sizing: A Case Study

In this paper we discuss a specific result derived from a multiple case study. The case study involved implementation of IFPUG Function Point Analysis and COSMIC Functional Size Measurement methods in an innovative military software development project by different groups of experts. Application of these methods in a case that provides a number of size measurement challenges enabled us to observe significant improvement opportunities for the methodologies. In this paper, we depict the utilization of the entity generalization concept in two FSM methods and based on our observations we discuss the effects of different interpretations of the concept for measuring the software functional size.

Evaluation of the Effect of Functional Similarities on Development Effort

Although functional size is the primary input for effort and cost estimation formulas, the relation between functional size and development effort does not always hold in practice. Calculating the magnitude of functional similarity is perceived as a partial solution to overcome this problem. In this study we applied different approaches to identify the magnitude of functional similarity in five projects. The applicability of these approaches is evaluated by observing the impact of functional similarity on effort and code size of the projects. We also discuss the challenges, difficulties and opportunities faced during the case studies.

The Impact of Individual Assumptions on Functional Size Measurement

Having been improved, evolved and standardized by the Organiza-tion for Standardization (ISO), Functional Size Measurement (FSM) methods have become widely used. However, the measurers still face difficulties in measuring the software products which include unconventional components. We faced the challenge to observe if different interpretations or assumptions of the measurers cause significant differences in the measurement results. In this study, we present the results of a multiple case study we conducted in order to observe the impact of individual assumptions for well known FSM methods.

Assessing Software Agility: An Exploratory Case Study

In this paper, we present an exploratory study towards developing a Software Agility Assessment Model, to fill the gap of a structured assessment model in the field. The purpose of the model is to assess organizations’ or projects’ agility and provide roadmaps to organizations in the continuous improvement path. The model has two dimensions with a similar structure to ISO/IEC 15504: agility dimension and aspect dimension. We performed an exploratory case study to identify the improvement opportunities for the draft model and discussed the results.

Making functional similarity count for more reliable effort prediction models

This paper evaluates the impact of functional similarities on the relation between functional size and software development effort. The estimation of the required effort cannot be achieved within reasonable limits at all times. We aimed to address this problem by considering functional similarities. Functional similarity is calculated for COSMIC measurement size results as adjusted functional sizes. The case study includes six cases. We discussed the challenges and the improvement opportunities of the method.

Assessment of Agility in Software Organizations with a Web-Based Agility Assessment Tool

Agile software development approaches have emerged to overcome the inherent challenges of the traditional software development methodologies. With that in mind, they offer a set of simple yet effective practices based on the values and supporting principles of the Agile Manifesto. Today, more and more organizations are practicing Agile but transitioning to Agile is not as straightforward as it might seem. The benefits afforded by the agile values, principles and practices are not fully obtained and adapters struggle to become more mature; i.e. increase their Agility. For, adapters to address this problem, agility assessments have been designed to be aware of the situation of their transition and make sure that they are heading in the right direction. However, these assessments still require significant amount of time and effort to apply. To overcome this problem, we have developed a web-based agility assessment tool which is a part of an integrated agility assessment approach. The approach consists of a structured and comprehensive agility assessment model (AgilityMod), an exemplar agility assessment process and a web based agility assessment tool (AssessAgility). This research focuses on the final component of the approach: AssessAgility tool and presents a multiple case study that was conducted to evaluate tools capabilities in terms of providing guidance, automation and reducing the effort spent on the assessments.

A Clustering Based Functional Similarity Measurement Approach

Effort prediction remains to be one of the greatest challenges of software management. While advances in functional size measurement enable functional size to be successfully utilized for effort prediction there are various factors that create significant variances. One of these factors is functional similarity. In this study, we developed, automated and validated an approach to determine similarities among functional processes for COSMIC functional size measurement methodology. The paper includes the explanation of this new approach and the results of the case study that has been performed to validate the approach.