On Quality

Corner of 26th St. and 6th Ave in NYC at 2 AM? Good to be big!

Middle seat from Los Angeles to Sydney? Good to be small!

Size always matters. Software is no exception. Software measurement expert Capers Jones has published data on how software size is fundamental. If you know size you can derive a lot of useful things — an accurate estimate of the defect density, for example. To see the complete list, go to Capers Jones’ presentation and check out slide #4.

Having an accurate function point count for your critical apps is great.  The problem is it’s expensive, it takes too much time, requires expertise you don’t have, and distracts your team from their day job.

The rest of this post is about how CAST’s function point automation works and how it solves the problems covered in the previous paragraph.

Over the last few years, we’ve really bulked up our function point counting capabilities. Think Arnold Schwarzenegger 1975 Mr. Olympia competition.

If you know a bit about function points, you know how incredibly hard it is to automate function point counts starting from source code as the input. That’s because function points capture functionality from the end user’s perspective. This functionality is encapsulated in calls from the GUI layer to the database layer.

To do what CAST does, you have to be able to analyze these calls and reverse engineer the end user experience! That’s a tall order, but that’s exactly what we did over the last 5 years of intense R&D and field testing.

This intense effort has led to a three key breakthroughs.

Breakthrough #1: Micro function points. The CAST function point counting algorithm is sophisticated enough to count micro-function point changes — the result of small enhancements that can quickly add up.  These are impossible to count manually, but they’re easily picked up by CAST’s automation.

Breakthrough #2: Enhancement function points. Like Microsoft Word’s Track Changes capability, CAST remembers exactly which data and transaction elements have been added, modified, and deleted in a series of changes made to a project. So you no longer have to worry about ignoring work that is necessary but doesn’t necessarily change the function point count.

Breakthrough #3: Calibration with function point experts in the field. We’ve been working with partners like David Consulting Group to ensure our automated counts are well within the accepted variance of counts.

Fast, low cost, benchmarkable function point counting? Automated size measurement is the answer!

Run Your Apps Through C-A-S-T!

(Sung to the tune of YMCA by the Village People)

IT, there’s no need to feel down.

I said, IT, pick yourself off the ground.

I said, IT, ’cause your website is down
And your CIO has left town.

IT, there’s a place you can go.
I said, IT, when your uptime is low.
They will heal you, since I’m sure they will find
All the bugs that cause your downtime.

Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.
Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.

They know everything about Java and SAP,
They can tell when your code is crap …

Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.
Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.

You can get your code clean, you can check your SI,
It will help you with CMMI …

IT, are you listening to me?
I said, IT, how bad can your code be?
I said, IT, you write terrible C.
But you got to know this one thing!

No man finds all bugs by himself.
I said, IT, put your pride on the shelf,
And just go there, give your systems to CAST.
They will find your flaws so damn fast.

Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.
Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.

They know everything about Java and SAP,
They can tell when your code is crap …

Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.
Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.

You can get your code clean, you can check your SI,
It will help you with CMMI …

IT, when the big bugs get missed.
I said, IT, then your QA gets dissed.
I said, IT, cause the business is pissed.
They put you atop their s**t list …

That’s when IT is just way out of luck,

And our VPs are just passing the buck,

And our coders they have all run amok,

And our apps they all really suck …

Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.
Let’s run your apps through the C-A-S-T.

You can get your code clean, you can check your SI,
It will help you with CMMI …

C-A-S-T … we’ll find your bugs with the C-A-S-T.

IT, IT, there’s no need to feel down.
IT, IT, pick your code off the ground.

C-A-S-T … we’ll check your apps with the C-A-S-T.

IT, IT, are you listening to me?
IT, IT, send CAST your Java and C.

C-A-S-T … we’ll measure them with the C-A-S-T.

IT, IT, all your bugs will be found.
IT, IT, all your apps will be sound.