IFPUG and SNAP FP Analysis of Wearable Devices (FitBit). New Questions demand New Solutions!

by Sushmitha Anantha & Saurabh Saxena

Internet of Things is changing the way data and information is collected, processed, analyzed and consumed. In a way, devices are getting their own identity and limited intelligence leading to analysis and decision making.  The application of these concepts seem to be unlimited and certainly provide new opportunities and challenges in every aspect of software engineering.

As the device-centric applications continue to increase, it is essential to focus on measurement of this class of applications. The challenge is to define approaches to establish the applicability and at the same time ensure the repeatability of such measurements.

This study is intended to apply IFPUG Function Point and SNAP methods in the field of IoT wearable device taking FitBit as an example.

We cover:

  • Establishing a generic model based on Fitbit architecture and its communication with external world
  • Applying Rules of IFPUG Function Point and SNAP methods to establish the applicability of these methods
  • Identify the challenges in each of the approaches and discuss possible solutions

Wearable devices such as FitBit are revolutionizing various fields such as Healthcare and Insurance domains. With other IoT devices included, the set of applications that could be sized with the proposed approach is limitless. Study of these applications from effort and cost perspective is another angle to explore. Questions that arise at this point are can the existing benchmarks be directly used for IoT backed applications or should there be special treatment? Some of these questions may not be readily answerable due to lack of literature in this field, however its worth attempting a discussion.

Though wearable devices form a fraction of overall smart devices and internet enabled appliances, the approach may still be applicable for the larger group with minor changes. If FPA must be done on any specific case, detailed study of the communication model and architecture shall help in identifying the approach in general.

See Sushmitha and Saurabh’s presentation

About Sushmitha

Sushmitha is a Function Point Expert and Productivity Champion working for a leading Services Organization. She is the current IFPUG Partnerships & Events Committee Chair. Sushmitha has worked for more than a decade in the fields of function point, related metrics, and function points productivity measurement in different domains, methodologies and technologies. She has authored various whitepapers related to function point measurement and metrics

About Saurabh

Saurabh Saxena is the chairperson of IFPUG International Membership Committee. He is also an active member of SNAP and PEC (Earlier CEC) committees. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), FP/SNAP consultant, trainer and specializes in Project Estimations, Productivity, Cost & Quality Analysis. Professionally he is a ‘Program Manager’ in Amdocs and is based in Pune, India. His whitepapers on Project Management, Estimations & Process Improvements have been published and well appreciated. Besides that, he is a regular speaker in international conferences. For more details about him kindly visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabh-saxena-pmp-cfps-a109266/