Estimating the Functional Size of Oracle eBS applications

For custom developed software functional size estimation method can be done with reasonable accuracy. I have developed an approach, based on NESMA function points, that has proven to be very useful for portfolio sizing.

Estimating the functional size of applications that were built in the Oracle e-Business Suite (eBS) package appeared to be difficult. Available eBS modules contain of a huge amount of functionality that can be used to configure or construct desired functionality for the end-users. But how do you determine the amount of functionality that is available to the end-user?

The amount of functionality that is available to the end-user is the functional size that is most relevant in practical use:

• First, it describes what has to be configured and built.
• And second, it describes what has to be maintained.

So not the entire functionality of the available eBS modules must be determined, but only the amount that has practical use to the end-user.

With a group of eBS and FPA specialists we have been able to distinguish the eBS elements that constitute the available user functionality. Most of these elements can be determined by intelligent queries on the eBS repository. For only two of the characteristics that are used in the estimation method, queries could not give adequate enough results. For these characteristics system documentation had to be used.

This functional size estimation technique has been devised to work equally well in an environment with relatively pure eBS functionality as in environments with a lot of customization within eBS module functionality.

You can download the article here, or retrieve it from my LinkedIn profile.