SPaMCAST 75 - Brown, IFPUG Function Points 4.3, Best Practices

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 75!In the SPaMCAST 75 I interviewed Bonnie Brown.  We discussed the updated IFPUG Function Point Counting Practice Manual (release 4.3) that will be released this January. While the manual includes few rule the manual it does include a new section on conversions, more definitions and is generally a cleaner therefore more usable format.    Bonnie provided great insight into the contents and construction of the manual.Ms. Brown works for HP (Hewlett Packard) and is the Function Point Coordinator for HP’s U.S. Public Sector account. Ms. Brown has over 20 years of experience in the Information Technology industry with a strong emphasis in requirements development, analysis and design of new applications leveraging standard processes. Ms. Brown has participated in numerous software development and enhancement projects, performing definition, analysis and design phase activities. She also has ten years of experience in Function Point Analysis, Metrics collection and analysis, and Software Process Improvement. In her current assignment, she coordinates function point activities for the U.S. Public Sector account and performs function point analysis for projects and applications within that area. Ms. Brown has been a member of the IFPUG Counting Practices Committee since 2000. She previously served as the committee secretary and is now serving as committee vice-chair. She coordinated (along with David Garmus) the development and publication of CPM 4.3. The IFPUG website is www.ifpug.orgThe essay in SPaMCAST 75 is an exploration of the term "best practice".  Shakespeare wrote: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."  Unfortunately words can have power beyond thier original intent therefore reduce the value of the orginal concept.Conferences and Speaking Engagements in 2010 (To Date)ITMPI Webinar:  Are Your Project Stakeholders Satisfied February 11, 2010 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Eastern Time Measuring customer satisfaction is more than just asking if your clients got what they wanted. Customer satisfaction is a messy mix of expectations, experiences, and perceptions - with maybe a hint of functionality. In this webinar, Tom Cagley will outline one method for measuring this mixture and for identifying what really matters in customer satisfaction.Learning Objectives: •    How to define customer satisfaction •    Strategies for identifying what really matters •    A practical framework for measuring customer satisfaction •    Not all attributes of customer satisfaction matter to the same level for all stakeholders Register at http://solutions.compaid.com/forms/WebinarA20100211?ProcessType=PreRegQuest Conference in Dallas April 21 - 23.  I will be talking on "Process Improvement in a Multi-Model World".  The conference includes two days of workshops.  The website to get more information is http://www.qaiquest.org/dallas/index.htmlNext!The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature an interview with Tom and Mary Poppendiech talking about lean and their new book "Leading Lean Software Development: Results Are not the Point".  This was a phenomenally insightful interview.