I came across the idea of using function points as a metric for the velocity of a Scrum team. I saw it in a team and I found two articles mentioning a link between estimates and function points (http://www.ifpug.org/ISMA5-2010/Amol%20Keote-FunctionPointsAndAgile-Hand-in-Hand.pdf and http://www.cosmicon.com/portal/public/FromStoryPointsToCOSMIC.pdf).
I am not sure how this can work, because if I understand it correctly, function points measure the value of a feature (e.g. from the users perspective) whereas the velocity measures the effort of finished features. And in my view there’s no direct connection between these two.
To put it another way: If you have (let’s say) a stable Scrum Team which works 2 week Sprints, the number of functions points they deliver per Sprint should vary (possible wildly), which would render a velocity based on function points quite meaningless (e.g. for planning purposes)…
Am I missing something here?
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Function Points are a structured way to split a large task into many smaller ones.
From Introduction To Function Point Analysis
Function Point Analysis was developed first by Allan J. Albrecht in
the mid 1970s. It was an attempt to overcome difficulties associated
with lines of code as a measure of software size, and to assist in
developing a mechanism to predict effort associated with software
development.Function Point Analysis is a structured technique of classifying
components of a system. It is a method to break systems into smaller
components, so they can be better understood and analyzed. It provides
a structured technique for problem solving.
Mind you, that site also says
Function Point Analysis should be performed by trained and experienced
personnel.
so don’t try this at home kids!
(or in practical terms – stick with making up rough sizes of your tasks in a “good enough” way, and keep on producing software without getting bogged down with the bureaucracy of a heavyweight process that might sound like a great idea but ultimately won’t help you do anything better)
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