Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.
Estimating Project Size
Enterprise Architect uses a simple estimation technique based on the established:
- Number of Use Cases to be built
- Difficulty level of those Use Cases
- Project environment factors and
- Build parameters
This technique is of value only once you have developed a couple of known projects to use as a baseline. Please DO NOT use the provided 'guesstimates' as a real world measure until you have some real world base lines to measure against.
Access: Select package in Project Browser:
Project | Use Case Metrics
Right-click | Documentation | Package Metrics
How to:
On the Use Case Metrics dialog, work through the fields as indicated in the following table:
Field |
Usage |
See also |
|---|---|---|
Root Package |
Confirm the root package in the hierarchy All Use Cases under this package could potentially be included in the report |
|
Reload |
Re-run the load from the selected package, usually after you change the filter criteria |
|
Phase like |
Include Use Cases with a phase that matches the wildcard value in the field Use * to match any characters, for example 1.* for 1.1 and 1.2 |
|
Keyword like |
Include Use Cases with a keyword that matches the wildcard value in the field Use * to match any characters |
|
Bookmarked |
Include all Use Cases, or only those that are tagged, or those that are not tagged |
|
Use Cases |
Check the total count of Use Cases in the estimate The Use Cases and their parameters are listed in the panel underneath this field |
|
Include Actors |
Select to include Actors in the estimate |
|
Technical Complexity Factor |
Review the parameters that describe the degree of technical complexity of the project While the Unadjusted TCF Value comes from the Technical Complexity Factors tab of the Estimation Factors dialog, the other values compose the Use Case Points Method formula Modify these fields with caution The final project estimate is directly proportional to the TCF |
|
Environment Complexity Factor |
Review the parameters that calculate the degree of environmental complexity of the project, from factors such as programmer motivation or experience The listed parameters compose the formula calculating the ECF, defined by the Use Case Points Method; the only parameter affected by the project is the Unadjusted ECF Value, derived from the Environment Complexity Factors tab of the Estimation Factors dialog The final project estimate is directly proportional to the ECF |
|
Unadjusted Use Case Points (UUCP) |
Check the sum of the Use Case complexity numbers |
|
Ave Hours per Use Case |
Check the average number of hours assigned to easy, medium and difficult Use Cases You cannot change these figures |
|
Total Estimate |
Review the detailed breakdown of the final figure You must tailor the hours per Use Case Point figure to the level that matches your type of project and capability based on known previous project outcomes |
|
Default Rate |
Set the default hours to be fed into the final calculation |
|
Re-Calculate |
Re-run the estimate, usually after you change the hours or Use Case point number |
|
Report |
Produce a rich text formatted report from the current estimate |
|
