Software Measurement, Goal-Question-Metric and Software Process Models: A Case Study

Task 1: Unadjusted Function Points

This assessment comprises three tasks and is in two parts as stated below. Part 1: Software Measurement and Goal Question Metric

Doolan Executive Taxi Service Online (DETO), is a company specialised in providing local and national taxi services for executives to ferry them to and from private helicopter and small airplane landing points across the country. The company employs over 40 drivers and has more than 1500 executive clients.

They have a website which includes amongst other features a simple web-based email system which allows users to attach up to five attachments to each new email. In accordance with their own policy and rules, before the uploading process actually begins, the system checks that attachments are not larger than 100Mb each, and that no attachment is a file type which is not allowed (by comparing the file extension against a list of extensions saved to the system). If the uploads pass both tests, the files can be successfully uploaded on the mail servers and eventually sent to the recipient(s).

If either of the above two constraints is breached, an alert message to the user is displayed. Once the procedure for uploading attachments has been completed, the user is redirected to the main email system web page, on which a message box is displayed including the number of attachments, their full name (including extensions) and size, which are to be enclosed in the email yet to be sent.

Task 1: To enable a later calculation of the size of this part of the system in Unadjusted Function Points, use the description above to identify the elements of each of the following types, stating their names and the total number of each type.

Based on your own judgement, find out the realistic weight for each “Functional Type elements” and derive the unadjusted Functional Point.

Note: You can use average weight and do not need to calculate the adjusted Functional Point.

Task 2: as an independent consultant, you have been asked to perform a Goal-Question- Metric (GQM) analysis into how effective the DETO website is in order to suggest some improvements to its designers., especially as attracting new customers is a key priority for the company.

Identify “the objects under measurement” for the GQM template.

Based on the above GQM template, identify two (consistently derived) measurable goals for the company. For each goal list two relevant questions. For each question give at least one metric you would want to collect.

Task 3: Now the company is considering using a highly sophisticated and leading edge on- board navigation system for the next generation of the company’s cars. The company has heard that rapid development of the software development process may result in a high-quality product which can be released quickly. This is of interest to this company in order to gain competitive advantage and quality is of vital importance since if cars are out of use money is lost and reputation may suffer.

Senior management have approached you to help them to compare the suitability of TWO software process models that might be used as a basis for the development of the on-board navigation system and to make sure that this system integrates fully with the company’s website.

Discuss why your chosen software process models are a suitable approach for this case study. In your discussion ensure to include the general characteristics of the process models that make it so and any differentiating characteristics of the proposed two models compared to others. Include details of the issues that will need to be addressed for this software development and provide an explanation of the risks and pitfalls in managing a software project such as this.

You are required to include an in-depth discussion using your own words and provide a breadth of references to support your arguments using the Harvard Referencing System. At the very least 10 sources are expected.