short papers Archives

The Benefits of Software Metrics for Scrum Masters

25 March 2026/in agile

The use of functional size measurement and software metric data provide Scrum Masters with a more reliable indicator of their team’s performance and productivity. By comparison, Story Points may be useful for internal team coordination, but make it difficult to compare performance across different teams or against industry standards. This short report discusses how Scrum Masters benefit from using functional size and standardized metrics based on ISBSG data.

The Benefits of Software Metrics for Product Owners

26 February 2026/in agile

In agile software development, the Product Owner is often caught between the pressure for rapid feature rollout and the need for realistic, data-backed forecasting. Relying on “gut feelings” or inconsistent team-specific metrics, such as story points, makes it nearly impossible to communicate value or manage stakeholder expectations . By adopting standardized functional size measurement (FSM), e.g., Nesma, IFPUG or COSMIC function points, in tandem with ISBSG benchmark data, Product Owners can finally speak a universal language of scope and performance.

Impact of AI on Productivity and Delivery Speed

5 February 2026/in productivity

The software development landscape has recently experienced rapid changes driven by the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. While AI can improve the speed and efficiency of development teams, it also has the potential to lower code quality. This short report uses the ISBSG Repository to determine the impact of AI on key metrics. Comparisons between pre-AI and post-AI data indicate whether the adoption of AI tools has led to positive improvements in the productivity and delivery speed of software projects.

Submit Data to ISBSG

21 January 2026/in benchmarking

ISBSG’s mission is: to support organizations and help them to improve the estimation, planning, control and management of IT software projects and/or maintenance and support contracts. ISBSG achieves its mission through the collection of data from software development, enhancement, and maintenance projects. This data is submitted to ISBSG by software metrics organizations worldwide. This short report explains how you can assist ISBSG in its support of the software industry. Learn how simple it is to submit your project data and to receive a free benchmark report, in appreciation for your submission.

Move High-Code to Low-Code

21 January 2026/in benchmarking

This short report examines a company’s business case to change the platform of their main system, from high-code to low-code. Current maintenance activities were considered, along with ongoing enhancements to the system. Productivity benchmarks from ISBSG Data Repositories were obtained for low-code projects. This enabled the calculation of potential productivity and cost gains from moving from high to low-code environments. Financial metrics, such as Payback Period, Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return are also calculated to support the company’s business case.

Price per FP Contract

14 November 2025/in benchmarking

A consultancy firm assisted an IT Services provider to win a large, European government Price-per-FP contract using ISBSG data. The data, for more than 11000 software projects, provided valuable benchmarks that were used to compare productivity and cost. This enabled the IT Services provider to produce a competitive price-per-FP offer that beat 20 rival bidders. Learn about the strategic value of ISBSG benchmarks in fixed-price, functional sizing contracts.

Benchmarking Agile Development Teams

30 October 2025/in benchmarking

A telecommunications provider faced challenges in assessing the performance of its agile development teams, working on Java-based projects. The company lacked a standardized approach to measure key performance indicators. It was unable to determine how the team compared to industry standards. A lack of data-driven insights prevented the company from identifying areas of improvement. The benchmarking process used to evaluate the agile development teams relied upon ISBSG data. It involved a structured, data-driven approach to measure productivity, delivery speed, cost efficiency, and process quality. The process was designed to compare the company’s internal performance metrics against ISBSG’s industry benchmarks to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Estimation of a Redevelopment Project

16 October 2025/in estimation

An international, pharmaceutical company had to redevelop functionality in a critical system that was integrated with numerous other applications, including clinical data management processes. To address this, the company initiated two options: Identify a replacement package with similar functionality OR redevelop the functionality themselves.

This short report focuses on the estimation process for the redevelopment option, using ISBSG data to deliver a robust, data-driven estimate. It highlights the value provided by this approach.

Mobile App Development

17 August 2025/in productivity, project control

Many organizations provide mobile applications (i.e. apps) for use on smart phones and tablets. Apps are an interface between a company and its customers, providing functionality and support. Hence, companies must be able to quickly add new functionality to apps. This short report compares key metrics for enahancements to Android and IOS apps to determine if there is a difference in their development platforms.

Overview of ISBSG Resources

18 May 2025/in project control

The ISBSG website offers a range of resources to: optimize project outcomes, advance software engineering knowledge, and support organizations in achieving competitive excellence. ISBSG resources include: data repositories, benchmarking tools, publications, educational resources, and community engagement opportunities. By leveraging the D&E and Maintenance repositories, PDQ tool, reports, and free content, stakeholders can make informed decisions, validate estimations, and benchmark performance against industry standards.

Tag Archive for: short papers

The Benefits of Software Metrics for Scrum Masters

The Benefits of Software Metrics for Product Owners

Impact of AI on Productivity and Delivery Speed

Submit Data to ISBSG

Move High-Code to Low-Code

Price per FP Contract

Benchmarking Agile Development Teams

Estimation of a Redevelopment Project

Mobile App Development

Overview of ISBSG Resources

Explore ISBSG Resources

Estimation

Productivity

Agile

Benchmarking

Maintenance & Support

Sizing

Outsourcing

Project Control

ISBSG Partners

ISBSG Limited

ADDRESS

Subscribe to the ISBSG Newsletter