PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ, January 16, 2006 – The International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) announced that it has reached an important strategic agreement with the China Software Progress Improvement Union (CSPIU) to promote and utilize the knowledge of function point analysis in the software development industry in China. This agreement represents a significant milestone in the expansion of function points as a software measurement technique worldwide. Key points of the memorandum include support for establishing an IFPUG chapter in China (China Function Point Users Group, or CFPUG), recommendations for speakers and trainers in the area of function points and their use in software measurement, assistance with the delivery of Certified Function Point Specialist (CFPS) exams in China, and translation of the Counting Practices Manual (CPM) into the Chinese language.
The 2005 CSPIU Conference was held November 9-11 in Shanghai and Beijing. IFPUG was represented by Dr. George Mitwasi, who delivered an introductory function point workshop and two “IFPUG in a Box” presentations attended by nearly 500 people. Dr. Mitwasi worked with Mr. Richard Wang, head of the CSPIU and Cao Ji, a translator and popular consultant in China, to finalize and sign the agreement between the two organizations. “The presentations went extremely well,” reported Dr. Mitwasi. “There is a lot of interest in Process Improvement and CMMI and the Chinese government is pushing benchmarking heavily and thus the interest in function points.” Collaboration with China will expand IFPUG’s presence in Asia, which already includes significant membership in Korea, Japan, and India.