The first point to note in this issue is that there are no tools available that automatically count function points reliably. However there are tools available that can support and partially automate the process of function point counts and also to store and manage the results of the counts.

The simplest tool to be used to record a function point count is a spread sheet. In the “resources” section of our website, there is a free and formatted spreadsheet for function point counts available for download. Despite being the first and simplest tool to be used by many professionals, its use begins to be impractical as the number of counts increases. The control of the count REPOSITORY is usually manual, and with the increasing amount of data, the task becomes costly.

When the organization realizes that the spreadsheet no longer meets it needs, a natural course of action is to search tools with more CAPABILITIES on the market. The IFPUG has a certification process for the tools to support the function point counts. The list of tools currently certified can be viewed here: http://www.ifpug.org/?page_id=316. According to this process, the tools can be classified into three categories:

Type 1: The user does the function points count manually and the software provides functionalities for data collection and calculations.

Type 2: The software provides the functionalities for data collection and calculations, and the user and the system do the interactive function points count, using questions submitted by the system and actions being taken automatically depending on the answers provided.

Type 3: The software automatically produces a function point count using various sources of information such as the DATABASE application, the application itself and artifacts of the development tools. The user can enter the data interactively, but his involvement is minimal during the count. It is IMPORTANT to note that there are no such tools certified.

Although there are several options of tools on the market to support the use of function points, many organizations choose to develop an inhouse tool integrated with its systems of internal control. Some reasons for this MAY be:

• The cost to develop an internal solution is less than the cost of acquisition and maintenance of packages available on the marke.
• Lack of local support for the solution, due to the fact that most tools on the market are foreign
• Needs to integrate with internal systems

The first point to note in this issue is that there are no tools available that automatically count function points reliably. However there are tools available that can support and partially automate the process of function point counts and also to store and manage the results of the counts.

The simplest tool to be used to record a function point count is a spread sheet. In the “resources” section of our website, there is a free and formatted spreadsheet for function point counts available for download. Despite being the first and simplest tool to be used by many professionals, its use begins to be impractical as the number of counts increases. The control of the count repository is usually manual, and with the increasing amount of data, the task becomes costly.

When the organization realizes that the spreadsheet no longer meets it needs, a natural course of action is to search tools with more capabilities on the market. The IFPUG has a certification process for the tools to support the function point counts. The list of tools currently certified can be viewed here: http://www.ifpug.org/?page_id=316. According to this process, the tools can be classified into three categories:

Type 1: The user does the function points count manually and the software provides functionalities for data collection and calculations.

Type 2: The software provides the functionalities for data collection and calculations, and the user and the system do the interactive function points count, using questions submitted by the system and actions being taken automatically depending on the answers provided.

Type 3: The software automatically produces a function point count using various sources of information such as the database application, the application itself and artifacts of the development tools. The user can enter the data interactively, but his involvement is minimal during the count. It is important to note that there are no such tools certified.

Although there are several options of tools on the market to support the use of function points, many organizations choose to develop an inhouse tool integrated with its systems of internal control. Some reasons for this may be: