A short introduction to benchmarking software projects

1. Benchmarking Software Projects
Summary
Hannu Lappalainen
2011-11-22
Albitech Consulting Oy

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Contents
1. More measurability in project deliveries
2. Benchmarking’s value
3. Productivity factors
4. Report example
5. Suitability
6. Further Information

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More measurebility in project deliveries
What – Benchmarking software
development projects in the terms of unit
cost of project delivery.
Why – To compare projects’ efficiency for
judging the cost level of project delivery
and need for enhancing delivery strategy
or processes.
How –
• Measuring functional size of software
in function points (fp)
• Calculating the unit cost (€/fp)
• Estimating productivity factors using
situation model.

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Benchmarking’s value
Comparable estimate of delivery project’s efficiency forms basis for
• Positioning your projects’ efficiency
• Finding savings in IT project deliveries
• Comparing software vendors
• Measuring cost competiveness of project deliveries
• Judging the need for operational development
• Following development of project delivery efficiency.
Benchmark your cost level and efficiency of software aquisition or project delivery.

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Productivity factors
Project:
• Involvement of customer
representatives
• Performance and availability of the
development environment
• Availability of IT staff
• Number of stakeholders
• Pressure on schedule
Process:
• Impact of standards
• Impact of methods
• Impact of tools
• Level of change management
• Maturity of software development
prosess
/Source: ND21 method, Finnish Software
Measurement Association/
Product:
• Functional requirements
• Reliability requirements
• Usability requirements
• Efficiency requirements
• Maintainability requirements
• Portability requirements
People:
• Analysis skills of staff
• Application knowledge of staff
• Tool skills of staff
• Experience of project management
• Team skills of the project team

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Report example
Project:
Business area:
Project type:
Main dev tool:
Fuctional size: 562 fp
Unit cost: 457 €/fp
Delivery rate: 5,2 h/fp
Situation factor: 1,30
Product req. factor: 1,47
Public Administration
New development
Java
SOA Service FE

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Suitability
Method suits all projects which produce software code.
Method doesn’t cover commercial software packages aquirement (COTS like ERP or
CRM). However, COTS integration, implementing interfaces to and from other
software, is measurable in the terms of software functional size.
Also software maintenance work can be measured and benchmarked in the very
same way as projects.

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Further information
Hannu Lappalainen
IT Management Consultant
Albitech Consulting Oy
Mobile: +358407672388
E-mail: hannu.lappalainen@albitech.fi
www.albitech.fi