Review by Billy Barron, Delphi Consultants

"Function Point Analysis: Measurement Practices for Successful Software Projects" by David Garmus and David Herron (Addison-Wesley; ISBN 0-201-69944-3) is a through look at function points. If you are unfamiliar with function points, they are another metric that tries to measures program complexity. On the plus side, it may be the most accurate metric available. On the negative side, it is VERY hard to calculate, requires a trained expert, and is costly.

Though the book doesn't have formal section, it can be broken up into three sections. The first is a overview of function points. This section includes an executive overview for management to read.

The second part of the book shows you how function points are calculated. To give you an idea of the complexity of function points, this section runs almost 100 pages.

The third section goes through several case studies of calculating function points. Finally, there is a chapter at the end that talks about the certification test for function point analysis.

While not everyone needs a book on function point analysis, those who do will find this book to be informative and well written. I would highly recommend it.