Quantifying Software Global and Industry Perspectives

Software is one of the most important products in human history and is widely used by all industries and all countries. It is also one of the most expensive and labor-intensive products in human history. Software also has very poor quality that has caused many major disasters and wasted many millions of dollars. Software is also the target of frequent and increasingly serious cyber-attacks. Among the reasons for these software problems is a chronic lack of reliable quantified data. This reference provides quantified data from many countries and many industries based on about 26,000 projects developed using a variety of methodologies and team experience levels. The data has been gathered between 1970 and 2017, so interesting historical trends are available. Since current average software productivity and quality results are suboptimal, this book focuses on "best in class" results and shows not only quantified quality and productivity data from best-in-class organizations, but also the technology stacks used to achieve best-in-class results. The overall goal of this book is to encourage the adoption of best-in-class software metrics and best-in-class technology stacks. It does so by providing current data on average software schedules, effort, costs, and quality for several industries and countries. Because productivity and quality vary by technology and size, the book presents quantitative results for applications between 100 function points and 100,000 function points. It shows quality results using defect potential and DRE metrics because the number one cost driver for software is finding and fixing bugs. The book presents data on cost of quality for software projects and discusses technical debt, but that metric is not standardized. Finally, the book includes some data on three years of software maintenance and enhancements as well as some data on total cost of ownership.

1. Introduction to Quantifying Software ResultsSoftware Revenue GenerationOperating Cost ReductionsMarket Expansion.2. The Origin and Evolution of Function Point Metrics.The Origins of Function Point Metrics at IBMNew and Old Function Point Business ModelsThe Costs and Limitations of Standard Function Point MetricsExpanding the Role and Advancing the Start Time of Function Point AnalysisThe Current Business Model of Function Point Analysis in the United States.A New Business Model for Function Point AnalysisThe Hazards and Errors of LOC MetricsA Short History of LOC MetricsThe Hazards and Errors of the Cost per Defect MetricThe Hazards of Multiple Metrics without Conversion RulesExtending Function Point Logic into New DomainsPotential Expansion of Function Points to Other Business TopicsExample of Multi-Metric Software Economic AnalysisThe Probable Effort and Skill Sets to Create Additional MetricsSize and Cost Growth over Multiple-Year periods3. Software Information Needed by Corporate ExecutivesAnswers to the 60 Software QuestionsPrimary Software Metrics for High PrecisionSupplemental Software Metrics for High PrecisionAnswers to the Current "Hot Topic" QuestionsAnswers to the Security, Quality, and Governance QuestionsAnswers to the Software Usage, Value, and User Satisfaction QuestionsAnswers to the Employee Satisfaction and Demographic QuestionsAnswers to the Software Economic Impact QuestionsAnswers to the Competitive Analysis QuestionsTwenty-Five Quantitative Software Engineering TargetsTechnologies Useful in Achieving Software Engineering GoalsSix Hazardous Software Engineering Methods to be Avoided4. Metrics to Solve Problems and Improve Software Engineering Quality and ProductivityReducing Software WastageReuse of Certified Materials for Software ProjectsAchieving Excellence in Software Quality ControlExcellent Quality ControlAverage Quality ControlPoor Quality ControlMetrics to Improve Software QualitySoftware Quality and Software SecuritySoftware Quality and Technical DebtSNAP Metrics for Nonfunctional SizeEconomic Value of High Software QualityA Primer on Manufacturing Economics and the Impact of Fixed CostsSoftware’s Lack of Accurate Data and Poor Education on Quality and Cost of QualitySummary and Conclusions on Metrics for Problem-SolvingImproving Software Project Management Tools and TrainingProject Management Knowledge Acquisition.The History of Software Project Management ToolsUsage Patterns of Software Project Management ToolsRecent Evolution of Software Project Management ToolsThe Costs and Value of Software Project Management ToolsThe Future of Software Project Management Tools5. Measures, Metrics, and ManagementImproving Software Project Management Tools and TrainingSummary and Conclusions on Software Project Management6. 50 Years of Global Software Benchmark ResultsMeasuring U.S. Software Productivity and QualityLife Expectancy of Software Benchmark DataU.S. Software Benchmark ResultsSoftware Cost DriversPhase-Based Costs versus Activity-Based CostsThe Strange Mystery of Why Software Has 3000 Programming LanguagesU.S. Industry Work Hour VariationsU.S. Industry Productivity and Quality Results circa 2017Comparing Software GloballyTopics that Cannot Be in Benchmarks due to Laws or Union RegulationsExamples of Three Software BenchmarksBenchmark Section 0: Executive SummaryBenchmark Section 1: Input DataBenchmark Section 2: Output Data Schedule, Effort, and Cost Benchmark DataBenchmark Section 3: Technology Stack EvaluationBenchmark Section 4: Topics Observed During Benchmark ProcessBenchmark Section 5: Maintenance, Enhancement, and Support Benchmarks7. Advancing Software Benchmark TechnologySynthetic Benchmarks Using Parametric Estimation to ImproveSpeed and AccuracyMeasuring Brand New Tools, Methods, and Programming LanguagesExecutive Interest Levels in Software Benchmark TypesSoftware Benchmark Providers

Capers Jones is currently vice president and chief technology officer of Namcook Analytics LLC (www.Namcook.com). Namcook Analytics LLC designs leading edge risk, cost, and quality estimation and measurement tools. Software Risk Master (SRM) is the company’s advanced estimation tool with a patent-pending early sizing feature that allows sizing before requirements via pattern matching. Namcook Analytics also collects software benchmark data and engages in longer range software process improvement, quality, and risk assessment studies. These Namcook studies are global and involve major corporations and some government agencies in many countries in Europe, Asia, and South America.