CAST Software has launched a tool that automates function point analysis, enabling firms to measure software quality more easily and cheaply.
Function points have become the standard way firms measure software development output, but as it is a manual process requiring specialists, it has been too slow and expensive for widespread use.
“Function point is very costly and can be $6 per function point, so it’s just done for a few applications,” said Vincent Delaroche, chairman and CEO of CAST.
“There’s millions of lines of code generated a month – there’s no way you could check that by hand, so people tend to check small parts. But that’s like checking one guy out of 2,000 at airport security.”
CAST-Computed Function Point combines this function point counting, which closely replicates the IFPUG4.2 manual standard, with the company’s own analysis and measurement techniques. This gives organisations a far clearer picture of the quality of the software being produced by their in-house teams or an outside provider.
“By combining the unique abilities of measuring function point with the automation of software quality we provide to market a solid measuring system for applications – turning software from a ‘black art’ into something tangible you can measure,” said Delaroche.