Violeta Sun

Improvements to the Function Point Analysis Method: A Systematic Literature Review

Function point analysis (FPA) is a standardized method to systematically measure the functional size of software. This method is proposed by an international organization and it is currently recommended by governments and organizations as a standard method to be adopted for this type of measurement. This paper presents a compilation of improvements, focused on increasing the accuracy of the FPA method, which have been proposed over the past 13 years. The methodology used was a systematic literature review (SLR), which was conducted with four research questions aligned with the objectives of this study. As a result of the SLR, of the 1600 results returned by the search engines, 454 primary studies were preselected according to the criteria established for the SLR. Among these studies, only 18 specifically referred to accuracy improvements for FPA, which was the goal of this study. The low number of studies that propose FPA improvements might demonstrate the maturity of the method in the current scenario of software metrics. Specifically in terms of found issues, it was found that the step for calculating the functional size exhibited the highest number of problems, indicating the need to revise FPA in order to encompass the possible improvements suggested by the researchers.

Towards an Organizational Strategic Alignment Driven by Business Level Agreements

Currently, organizations that are seeking to achieve a strategic alignment between business areas and Information Technology (IT) have been increasingly using Business Process Management (BPM) and Service-oriented Architecture (SOA). BPM and SOA, when used together, can help to achieve this goal. In this context, a Service Level Agreement (SLA) is commonly used to define and monitor the establishment of the relationship between business and IT, including the technical level of this relationship. However, a previous agreement, in a higher and wider level of this relationship, is necessary so that this desired strategic alignment can be achieved in the way that was expected, and this can take the form of a Business Level Agreement (BLA). This paper proposes the integrated use of BLAs and SLAs, together with a business processes modelling language (in this case, BPMN -- Business Process Modeling and Notation) and a business process execution languages (in this case, WS-BPEL -- Web Services Business Process Execution Language), in a search for a strategic alignment. An overall description of the proposed approach is presented, including a simple illustrative example, in order to foster the conduction of more research works in this area.

Implantação da governança de TI: um caso no setor financeiro brasileiro

This research aims to analyze the process of implementing Information Technology Governance (ITG) in a Brazilian financial institution, where standards applied by the Brazilian Central Bank impose tighter controls on organizations. It describes a long process of ITG implementation with changes in management practices. The research is characterized as a qualitative and exploratory study, for which data collection was based on document analysis and participant observation. The research used the archetypes of IT governance for allocation of decision-making rights to describe the process of organizational change that took place during the implementation of the IT Governance model in this institution, leading to an expressive change of the organizations structure.

IT GOVERNANCE DEPLOYMENT: A CASE IN THE BRAZILIAN FINANCIAL SECTOR

This research aims to analyze the process of implementing Information Technology Governance (ITG) in a Brazilian financial institution, where standards applied by the Brazilian Central Bank impose tighter controls on organizations. It describes a long process of ITG implementation with changes in management practices. The research is characterized as a qualitative and exploratory study, for which data collection was based on document analysis and participant observation. The research used the archetypes of IT governance for allocation of decision-making rights to describe the process of organizational change that took place during the implementation of the IT governance model in this institution, leading to an expressive change of the organizations structure. Key-words: IT governance; information technology; case study.

Business process point analysis: survey experiments

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present business process point analysis (BPPA), a technique to measure business functional process size, based on function point analysis (FPA), and using business process model and notation (BPMN). This paper also discusses the assessment results of BPPA compared with FPA. Design/methodology/approach Two experimental studies with participants from academia and industry were conducted. The following aspects in the experimental studies were focused: similarity, application easiness, feasibility, and application benefits. The purpose of the experiment was to assess BPPA comparing with FPA as the BPPA design followed the FPA pattern. Findings Experimental results showed that both academia and industry groups highly rated similarity and application benefits for BPPA compared with FPA. However, only participants from industry highly rated BPPA for application easiness and feasibility. The results also showed that participants’ previous experiences did not influence their ratings on BPPA. Originality/value BPPA helps project managers to measure functional process size of business process management projects. As BPPA is derived from FPA, its mechanism is easily recognizable by project managers who are used to FPA. These results also show that both techniques are in most cases considered rather similar.

EVOLUÇÃO DO NIVEL DE GASTOS DE TI NO GOVERNO DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

This research explores the level of spendings on Information Technology (IT) undertaken by Sao Paulo State Government and its evolution from 2004 to 2013. It started on the assumption that companies have increased their investments in IT over recent years, as a natural consequence of IT evolution and the large number of new features available. Thus, the relative importance of IT to a company could be measured by the volume of IT spending over the volume of its total expenditure. Results show that Sao Paulo State Government investment in IT has increased in absolute terms over this period, however the portion of total budget invested in IT has not grown, and keeps virtually frozen over last years, at percentages close to 1%, which indicates that the relative importance of IT as a Government priority has not increased. 800x600 This research explores the level of spendings on Information Technology (IT) undertaken by Sao Paulo State Government and its evolution from 2004 to 2013. It started on the assumption that companies have increased their investments in IT over recent years, as a natural consequence of IT evolution and the large number of new features available. Thus, the relative importance of IT to a company could be measured by the volume of IT spending over the volume of its total expenditure. Results show that Sao Paulo State Government investment in IT has increased in absolute terms over this period, however the portion of total budget invested in IT has not grown, and keeps virtually frozen over last years, at percentages close to 1%, which indicates that the relative importance of IT as a Government priority has not increased. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4