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From: coxon@mot.com (Jed Coxon)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng,axion.misc
Subject: Re: Checkpoint
Message-ID: <1991Jun20.230933.2144@mot.com>
Date: 20 Jun 91 23:09:33 GMT
References: <1991Jun14.101717.23965@axion.bt.co.uk>
Sender: stc@mot.com (DX504 Software_Tech Center)
Organization: ex525
Lines: 75

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