Measuring the functional size of real-time software

Function Point Analysis (FPA) is a technique designed to measure the functional size of software products. The technique measures product size from the user’s point of view rather than from a technical perspective. FPA is now widely used in the MIS domain, where it has become the “de facto” standard. However, FPA has not enjoyed the same degree of acceptance in other domains, such as real-time software. This paper reports on work carried out to adapt FPA to the specific functional characteristics of real-time software. The extension proposed, called Full Function Points (FFP), is described and the results of field tests are discussed.