Can CAST-Computed Function Points be used to measure productivity?
Yes, CAST-computed function points are a solid baseline upon which improvements in productivity can be measured. Productivity is defined as the quantity of output divided by the quantity of the input. If I invest $100 today and get back $105 in one year, the productivity of my investment is 105/100 = 1.05. In software development (AD) and maintenance (AM), the inputs are the man-hours of effort logged by AD and AM teams. The output is the software product itself. The function point count of this end product – the result of the sum total of the effort logged – can be used as the output measure in the productivity equation. So in software development and maintenance, a potential measure of productivity is the number of function points per hour of effort. However, when the effort made to improve an application does not accurately register as a commensurate change in the function point count, productivity is underestimated because legitimate input (effort applied) has increased without a c
