<p>What are the steps to estimating using function points?</p>

<p>Is there a quick-reference guide of some sort out there?</p>

[{'answer_id': 78496, 'author': 'Jim McKeeth', 'author_id': 255, 'author_profile': 'https://Stackoverflow.com/users/255', 'pm_score': 4, 'selected': True, 'text': '<p>I took a conference session on Function Point Analysis a few years back.  There is a lot too it.  You can check out the <a href="http://www.softwaremetrics.com/freemanual.htm" rel="noreferrer">Free Function Point Training Manual</a> online, the <a href="http://www.softwaremetrics.com/fpafund.html" rel="noreferrer">Fundamentals of Function Points</a>, or I suspect you can get a book on it at a computer store.</p>\n\n<p>You might also check out the <a href="http://www.ifpug.org/" rel="noreferrer">International Function Point Users Group</a> and see if they have some resources or a local meeting for you.</p>\n'}, {'answer_id': 160198, 'author': 'Community', 'author_id': -1, 'author_profile': 'https://Stackoverflow.com/users/-1', 'pm_score': 2, 'selected': False, 'text': '<p>You really need to get some training on it. Check with IFPUG. You will unknowingly pick up some destructive bad habits if self-taught. It also helps to have an experienced FP analyst review some of your early attempts.</p>\n\n<p>It\'s the kind of thing that appears overwhelmingly complex until you "get it" and then it\'s fairly quick to do. It improved my requirements analysis a lot too. I often spot contradictions and gaps when doing a count.</p>\n\n<p>It isn\'t limited to BDUF Waterfall projects either. I spent three years using FP and Planning Poker as cross-checks on one another when contracting agile methods projects.</p>\n\n<p>I was IFPUG-certified from 2002-2005 and am still using FP analysis. I\'ve seen it misused a lot, and I think that\'s why it has such a bad reputation.</p>\n'}, {'answer_id': 70471204, 'author': 'colinrh', 'author_id': 9420742, 'author_profile': 'https://Stackoverflow.com/users/9420742', 'pm_score': 0, 'selected': False, 'text': '<p>I recommend you take a look at COSMIC Function points.  <a href="https://cosmic-sizing.org" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://cosmic-sizing.org</a>. COSMIC Function points are also an ISO standard for measuring software size.  They are an evolved improvement over IFPUG.</p>\n<p>You can quickly estimate size by counting the entries, exits, reads and writes.</p>\n<p>Compared with the IFPUG manual, learning COSMIC is much easier, the free book below is all you need, and you can read it in a day.</p>\n<p>Recommended reading: <a href="https://cosmic-sizing.org/publications/measurement-guide/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://cosmic-sizing.org/publications/measurement-guide/</a></p>\n'}]
['https://Stackoverflow.com/questions/78453', 'https://Stackoverflow.com', 'https://Stackoverflow.com/users/1541/']