What are 3D function points?
Between 1989 and 1992, the Boeing Company considered the use of function points to measure productivity. An internal Boeing Company document was published in the proceedings of the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference in 1992. It defined a technique called 3D function points. The new technique was designed to address two classic problems associated with the Albrecht approach. First, the approach is considered difficult to use. Second, it does not properly measure scientific and real-time systems. The three dimensions in 3D function points are data, function and control. The data dimension is similar to Albrecht’s function points. The function dimension adds transformations, which are similar to the algorithms. The control dimension adds transitions, which enumerate changes in application state. It has been claimed 3D function points scale downward to the class level when used in conjunction with object oriented development.
