abrickla@axion.bt.co.uk (Ashley Brickland) (06/14/91)
Does anybody have any experience or information on a tool called Checkpoint? I think it's for estimating schedules, etc.
Any further information would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ashley
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***************************************************************************coxon@mot.com (Jed Coxon) (06/21/91)
In article <1991Jun14.101717.23965@axion.bt.co.uk> abrickla@axion.bt.co.uk writes: >Does anybody have any experience or information on a tool called Checkpoint? I think it's for estimating schedules, etc. > Checkpoint is a statistically-based project estimation tool that is marketed by Software Productivity Research, Inc., which was formed by Caper Jones. Caper Jones believes that there are a wide range of project factors that are related to product quality and project productivity. Typically, project management is concerned with tracking information, including data on staffing levels, schedules, effort, costs and milestone completion. He considers the following groups of information to be "vital" information as input to project management. SIZING DATA: "SOFT" DATA: o Source code lines o Skills o Documentation pages o Environment o Test cases o Tools o Methods TRACKING DATA ("HARD" DATA): o Staffing levels o Schedules o Effort o Cost o Milestones Checkpoint is currently available on PC type computers. It is a menu-driven program that takes as input a large number of project descriptors, in the form of an on-line questionaire. This includes almost 400 qualitative process descriptors and over 100 quantitative measurements. Checkpoint provides a wide range of output information types and presentations, both in on-line form fro browsing, and in printed report form. The bulk of the output information is based on relationships between information about productivity, quality (as represented by defect profiles), staffing profiles, project activities, schedule information, and cost. These information classes are compared with each other in many different presentations, both in tabular and graphical form. The different ways the information is presented can lead to different insights about the project. The following is a list of the types of output information: - Project strengths and weaknesses - Overall project assessment - Productivity characterization - Development profile - cost, staff, quality, productivity, schedule - Defect profile - categorized by phase introduced, severity, removal effeciency - Maintenance profile - effort, cost, defect counts - Enhancement profile - effort, cost, code sizing - Documenation profile - User involvement - Risk Analysis - Comparison with industry norms Checkpoint also as a very extensive "What if" analysis capability. I suggest that you get copies of the following books to learn more about Checkpoint. 1. T. Capers Jones, Programming Productivity: Issues for the Eighties, IEEE Computer Society Press, Silver Spring, MD, 1981. 2. T. Caper Jones, Programming Productivity, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, New York, 1985. Checkpoint is a good project estimation tool, on of the best available in the industry today. However, I was (personally) SHOCKED by the sticker price. The last time I checked (6-9 moinths ago) ONE copy of the tool was priced at $10,000! Hope that I have shed some light on your request - GOOD LUCK! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jed L. Coxon Internet: coxon@mot.com Motorola, Inc. Worldwide Radio Products Group Fort Lauderdale, FL
nwegmann@ducvax.auburn.edu (WEGMANN_NORBERT) (06/24/91)
In article <1991Jun14.101717.23965@axion.bt.co.uk>, abrickla@axion.bt.co.uk (Ashley Brickland) writes... >Does anybody have any experience or information on a tool called Checkpoint? I think it's for estimating schedules, etc. >*************************************************************************** I've had some exposure to the CHECKPOINT estimation tool at a previous job. What in particular would you like to know about it?