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Welcome to the United Kingdom Software Metrics Association (UKSMA)

UKSMA is a not-for-profit user group designed to promote and improve the use of software measurement and sizing. We do this by:

facilitating communication and the sharing of expertise in various ways both within and beyond UKSMA - primarily the organisation of metrics conferences and certification;

leading metrics initiatives as illustrated on MEMBERS page. Nearly all our expenditure goes on organising an annual conference and tutorials.

Membership of UKSMA is free. Membership details and registration access can be found on the MEMBERS page. There are two classes of membership: Associate (free) and Full membership (awarded by a board). The board (alias Management Committee) is elected by Full members and has responsibility for managing UKSMA activities. UKSMA is the Design Authority for the MkII Function Point Analysis functional sizing method.

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Grant Rule, one of UKSMA's staunchest supporters since the day it was formed.
Grant died in a tragic sailing accident last weekend.
Grant had a great interest and history and traditions. When a group of that strange breed of people calling themselves Function Point Analysts decided to join together, who but Grant would come up with the name “The Guild of Function Point Analysts”. The Guild later became Software Measurement Services, a company that became well respected throughout the software engineering world.
We could go on, but in essence, Grant was a thoroughly nice person; we will miss his often controversial, but always constructive and well reasoned response to any topic he chose to be interested in.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to his wife Sue, another great supporter of UKSMA, and his children. He will be missed.

Click here for Grant's final conference paper at the UKSMA 2011 conference

Functional Size Measurement Methods

Functional Size Measurement is the approach to quantifying Software in terms of the functionality it delivers to its users independently of the technical and quality aspects of its delivery. It provides a method of normalising measures of Productivity, Speed of Delivery, Quality etc. by providing a common measure of what is delivered which can be used to calculate unit values.

The Base Functional Components that are measured are expressed in terms that people from all backgrounds understand, particularly the business users (or purchasers) of the software. A well-documented measurement provides a valuable resource in the management of the software during its full lifecycle.

The methods supported by UKSMA aim to conform to the International Standard 14143-1:1998 which defines the characteristics of FSM methods. All these methods are well on the way to becoming international standards in their own right. UKSMA has supported this work by part-financing participation in ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7 WG12, the international working group that meets twice per year, and works in the interim via email on the standardisation of FSM Methods and practices.

Members of UKSMA have participated in the development of all these methods, participating in the Counting Practices Committee of IFPUG, the Core Development Team for COSMIC-FFP, and through UKSMA’s Metrics Practices Committee, management of the MkII method for which it is the controlling body.

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