Use case points

Use case points are a way to measure how much work needs to be done in a software project.

Imagine you want to build a fort with your friends. You decide to break it down into different parts, like gathering materials, building walls, putting in a door, and adding decorations. Each of these parts is like a "use case" in a software project.

Now, to figure out how much work you need to do, you could start counting bricks or measuring out the dimensions. But that would be silly and take too much time. Instead, you could use a simpler method, like counting the number of walls or doors you need.

In the same way, use case points let you break down a software project into different parts, like logging in, creating a new user account, or sending a message. But instead of counting lines of code or other complicated metrics, you assign each use case a "point value" based on how complex it is.

For example, logging in might be worth 5 points, while sending a message might be worth 8 points. By adding up all the use case points, you can get a rough idea of how much work the project will take. This helps project managers estimate how long it will take and how many people they need on the team.

So, to sum up: Use case points help measure how much work needs to be done for a software project by assigning values to different parts of the project, similar to how you might count the number of walls in a fort.