Overview of Function Point Analysis

IT Strategy must lead to its execution i.e. IT Implementation. For the 20% one spends on IT Strategy, there is the 80% spend on IT implementation i.e. this is the costly part of the equation. This also is the place where most mistakes become apparent because this is the first time that the proverbial rubber meets the road. IT Strategies fail because of poor implementation. However, the inverse is also true - some implementations are setup for failure from the start. In other words, before we implement any strategy we should think. Therein lies the rub. We do not know if our strategy will work till we implement. If we cannot implement till we are sure of success, then we have created an endless cycle of “thinking without doing” which can result in analysis paralysis – i.e. nothing gets done…ever! So how do we overcome this dilemma? IT Strategy and IT Implementation processes need to be linked in an iterative cycle of “think, do, learn.” The feedback loop is a critical step in this cycle. Function point analysis is another important tool in this process. Function points are quantitative measures of application software functionality and size – they attempt to quantify subjective characteristics of an application so decisions can be made about them. These decisions are primarily in the area of measurement and analysis of software development/maintenance costs. Please note that this is neither an endorsement nor critique of the approach – it is what it is. We are also not suggesting that this is the only game in town – there are many others. This is a good overview of the approach.