Business Process Points - A Proposal To Measure BPM Projects

2013 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Baklizky, Maruscia; Fantinato, Marcelo

Abstract: Organizations need more standardization and efficiency in business process execu ... Expand

Abstract: Organizations need more standardization and efficiency in business process execution, which is leading them to show an increasing interest in the business process management (BPM) approach. Stakeholders and workers from different departments are collaborating to obtain better products/services as a result of the BPM projects, but do not always achieve satisfactory outcomes. BPM projects must be well managed and measured for successful implementation. Software Engineering (SE) projects often use a Functional Size Measurement (FSM) technique to estimate the size of the project. This paper proposes an FSM technique for BPM, based on the Function Points metric from SE. We chose the Function Point Analysis, (an FSM technique), as the basis for the proposed Business Process Point Analysis (BPPA) technique. BPPA is a Process Size Measurement technique, developed for business processes modeled through the Business Process Management Model and Notation. BPPA will enable project managers to measure Business Process Points of BPM projects by allowing them to estimate important variables for better managing projects, such as required resources, human effort, cost and time. This paper provides an overview of the proposed BPPA technique and the results of an empirical analysis based on observations from a BPM specialist and an FPA specialist. Collapse

Topics: business process management function point analysis

Methods: case study experiment literature study

Assessing Project Effort in Requirements Engineering: A Report on Design Research in Progress

2010 | DESRIST | Citations: 0

Authors: Zickert, Frank; Beck, Roman

Abstract: In this paper we report on our design research in progress, where we have develo ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper we report on our design research in progress, where we have developed an artifact that assesses project effort resulting from requirements. Based on models used in the goal-oriented requirements engineering method KAOS, the artifact measures system size via function point analysis and analyzes system complexity via structural analysis. In addition, we provide theoretical explanations and empirically validate how size and structural complexity affect project effort. Overall effort depends on counted functions that must be transformed, since software development can be regarded as a transformation process where size matters. Structural complexity matters as well, since software development is also a complex problem, where effort spent depends on the structure of the problem. Insights from empirical evaluation in three software development projects are encouraging, wherefore we believe that the artifact appropriately assesses project effort. Furthermore, our artifact increases the utility of KAOS by providing additional information on project effort. Collapse

Topics: systems development IT development project waterfall model function point analysis problem solving

Methods: design science design artifact testing design methodology

Because Effort Matters!: A Mapping Model for Assessing Project Effort in Requirements Engineering

2010 | Business & Information Systems Engineering | Citations: 0

Authors: Zickert, Frank; Beck, Roman

Abstract: Project effort is critical for the success of software development projects. Ho ... Expand

Abstract: Project effort is critical for the success of software development projects. However, although the requirements have an influence on the resulting effort, requirements engineering (RE) methods are not capable of assessing project effort adequately. We present a mapping model that integrates function point analyses into RE and thereby supports assessing project effort from requirements. Collapse

Topics: IT development project usability user interface systems development web service

Methods: case study

Estimating the development cost of custom software

2003 | Information & Management | Citations: 3

Authors: Stamelos, Ioannis; Angelis, Lefteris; Morisio, Maurizio; Sakellaris, Evaggelos; Bleris, George L.

Abstract: In this paper an approach for the estimation of software development costs is pr ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper an approach for the estimation of software development costs is presented. The method is based on the characterization of the software to be developed in terms of project and environment attributes and comparison with some similar completed project(s) recovered from a historical database. A case study is also presented, focusing on the calibration and application of the method on 59 information systems implementing supply chain functions in industry. Various strategies are explored, the best of which predicted effort quite effectively, with a mean estimation error of 24% with respect to the actual effort. Collapse

Topics: database system IT investment systems development supply chain management programming language

Methods: case study descriptive statistic experiment

An Activity Based Costing Approach to Systems Development and Implementation

1998 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Ooi, Ginny; Soh, Christina; Lee, Pui-Mun

Abstract: Many organizations are in the process of replacing legacy systems with large, in ... Expand

Abstract: Many organizations are in the process of replacing legacy systems with large, integrated systems using new technological platforms. Accurate estimation of project resources required and appropriate allocation of actual development and implementation costs to users are two critical issues faced. This study proposes an activity based costing (ABC) approach to estimating and recovering system development and implementation costs. Collapse

Topics: function point analysis systems development resource allocation IT project IT investment

Methods: design artifact group interview artificial neural network conceptual modelling

Theories: theory of case-based reasoning

The four P's revisited: business value assessment of the infrastructure impact of IT investments

1998 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 0

Authors: Renkema, Theo J. W.

Abstract: Assessing the business impacts of increased IT investment has become one of the ... Expand

Abstract: Assessing the business impacts of increased IT investment has become one of the major issues in contemporary management. Many senior managers realize that a well-structured appraisal process might make the vital difference between IT success and IT failure, both in the private and the public sectors. Senior management's prime concern has shifted from controlling IT costs to managing and delivering IT benefits. Today, increased emphasis is being put on the role of infrastructure investments in order to fully exploit the profit potential of IT. The infrastructure impact of IT investments more and more centres around the emerging notion of an information infrastructure. Assessing the role and impacts of infrastructure investments, however, has proved to be particularly difficult and it is not yet clear how the underlying strategic decision-making process should be managed. The purpose of this paper is to present a model that offers four control options - paraphrasing conventional business wisdom in marketing coined the 'P4 model' - to manage investment appraisal and to support organizational decision-making. As a prelude to this, the paper explores the role of an information infrastructure from an IT investment perspective and examines four styles of decision-making. It also presents case study material from the financial services sector, in order to illustrate the relevance and applicability of the P4 model. Much of this paper draws on a research study funded by Eindhoven University and two large financial services organizations. Collapse

Topics: decision making IT investment information technology infrastructure marketing management function point analysis

Methods: case study qualitative interview qualitative content analysis participant observation action research

Theories: theory of bounded rationality

User-Developed Applications: An Empirical Study of Application Quality and Developer Productivity

1996 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Edberg, Dana T.; Bowman, Brent J.

Abstract: As inexpensive microcomputers and easy-to-use software have proliferated through ... Expand

Abstract: As inexpensive microcomputers and easy-to-use software have proliferated throughout organizations, increasing numbers of employees are developing applications. The end-user computing (EUC) literature contains many prescriptions for managing this activity, but there has been little direct empirical examination of the effectiveness of end users as application developers. This paper describes a study in which five different applications were developed independently by paired teams of end users and IS students acting as surrogate IS professionals. This permitted comparison of end users and surrogate IS professionals on the quality of the finished applications and on productivity. The quality analysis focused on technical design and implementation factors as measured by defect counting and a subjective quality attribute rating. Productivity was measured by function point analysis and lines-of-code metrics. The results of the study indicate that the surrogate IS professionals were much more productive and produced higher-quality applications than did the end users. The fact that student surrogates significantly outperformed the end users is particularly interesting since experienced IS professionals might be expected to show even greater differences in productivity and quality. The study should be replicated using IS professionals to confirm the preliminary findings. The results suggest that additional research on the efficacy of end users as application developers is needed. Collapse

Topics: IT workforce productivity source code IT project software developer

Methods: experiment qualitative interview survey design laboratory experiment statistical hypothesis test

Toward a New Metric for Representing Output in Object-Based Software Development

1996 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Kauffman, Robert; Kumar, Rachna

Abstract: ... Expand

Abstract: Collapse

Topics: systems development IT project project management function point analysis software metric

Methods: qualitative interview econometric modeling experiment

An exploration of the problems of using function points mark II

1994 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 1

Authors: Hughes, R.

Abstract: Abstract. This paper examines critically the function point analysis mark II (F ... Expand

Abstract: Abstract. This paper examines critically the function point analysis mark II (FPA mark II) method of measuring the functionality of information systems. Although the focus of the paper is on FPA mark II as devised by Symons, both this and the Albrecht method, from which the FPA mark II was developed, are briefly discussed. The published attempts to validate FPA mark II are reviewed and then the problems encountered by the author in applying the approach are described. The final part of the paper is concerned with the fit between SSADM and FPA mark II. Collapse

Topics: COBOL IT productivity function point analysis IT investment

Reuse and Productivity in Integrated Computer-Aided Software Engineering: An Empirical Study

1991 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Banker, Rajiv; Kauffman, Robert

Abstract: Growing competition in the investment bank~ng industry has given rise to increa ... Expand

Abstract: Growing competition in the investment bank~ng industry has given rise to increasing demand for high functionality software applications that can be developed in a short period of time. Yet defivering such applications creates a bottleneck in software development activities. This dilemma can be addressed when firms shift to development methods that emphasize software reusability. This article examines the productivity implications of object and repository-based integrated computer-aided software engineering (ICASE) software development in the context a major investment bank's information systems strategy. The strategy emphasizes software reusability. Our empirical results, based on data from 20 projects that delivered software for ~he bank's New Trades Processing Architecture (NTPA), indicate an order of magnitude gain software development productivity and the importance of reuse as a driver in realizing this result. In addition, results are presented on the extent of the learning that occurred over a two-year period after ICASE was introduced, and on the influence of the link between application characteristics and the ICASE tool set in achieving development performance. This work demonstrates the viability of the firm's IS strategy and offers new ideas for code reuse and software development productivity measurement that can be applied in development environments that emphasize reuse. Collapse

Topics: productivity systems development information systems strategy function point analysis systems development life cycle

Methods: qualitative interview economic model field study personal interview