Use case point method

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The Use Case Points method (UCP method) is a top-down estimation method that can be used in the early project phases with little effort to estimate the costs of software development projects. The UCP method is based on the considerations of Gustav Karner, who developed an algorithmic estimation method during his diploma thesis in 1993 to estimate costs and effort in software development .

UCP method according to Karner

In 1993 Gustav Karner developed the Use Case Points method (UCP method) in cooperation with the company Objectory in his diploma thesis . Karner looked at use cases and actuators with which he calculated the use case points (UCP) and saw them as a measure to describe the technical and functional scope of a software system. If further information is available regarding technology and efficiency, further factors can be consulted. This improves the accuracy of the method.

Further developments

The Use Case Points Method 2.0 (UCP Method 2.0) was developed in a master's thesis in cooperation with the Munich University of Applied Sciences, the University of Magdeburg and the Capgemini sd & m company in 2008. The UCP method 2.0 is still based on use case points, but uses improved counting and calculation rules and revised factors to create them. Based on COCOMO II and other processes from literature and industrial practice, a new cost factor model was developed. The functionality of the UCP method 2.0 is published in the second edition of FORUM Business Management Munich .

The solution Use Case Points 3.0 (UCP 3.0) was developed in a dissertation at the University of Paderborn in cooperation with the company Capgemini sd & m and was published in 2009. In the dissertation, a model-based approach was defined that transforms different forms of specification into a newly developed UCP language. Individual descriptions in the UCP language can then be mapped onto a size measure (points). UCP 3.0, together with an application guide, creates a standardized procedure for the estimation process and shows a high degree of reproducibility in industrial practice with significantly improved estimation accuracy.

A weakness of the UCP method according to Karner is that the method could not be sufficiently calibrated by Karner because there was not a statistically sufficient number of projects for regression analysis available. In addition, the linear model of the method can not take into account the negative economies of scale that occur in software development projects . Nevertheless, the method offers significant advantages when measuring projects in early phases, as the simplified counting method allows the functional size of the IT product to be quickly determined (FSM, functional size measurment, in this case UUCW + UAW). The FSM can then be combined with statistically validated models such as COCOMO II to generate more reliable estimates.

Web links

  1. ↑ Thesis by Gustav Karner ( MS Word ; 362 kB)
  2. ↑ Use Case Point Method Improvement at the University of Magdeburg
  3. ↑ FORUM Business Economics Munich, 2nd edition published in spring 2010 ( Memento of the original from February 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , ISSN 1867-9099 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bwl.hm.edu 
  4. ↑ Use Case Points 3.0: Implementation of a use case-related estimation method for the software engineering of business information systems
  5. ↑ Carl Friedrich Kreß, Olivier Hummel, Mahmudul Huq: A Practical Approach for Reliable Pre-Project Effort Estimation . In: CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Vol. 1138, p. 23, 2014
  6. ↑ Carl Friedrich Kreß, Olivier Hummel, Mahmudul Huq: A Practical Approach for Reliable Pre-Project Effort Estimation . In: CEUR Workshop Proceedings, Vol. 1138, p. 28, 2014