SYSPOINT: Unit of Measure for IT Infrastructure Project Sizing

Abstract

What can be done to improve the success rate of IT infrastructure projects? The Standish group considers an IT project successful when it is completed on time and on budget, with all the features and functions originally specified. Thus, time, cost, and scope – the triple constraint of project management is measured for success. The initial project estimation directly results in constructing the baseline for the two success parameters – time and cost. The traditional software estimation models uses lines of code and function points as sizing unit of measure. The IT infrastructure projects are significantly different from software development projects to use the software sizing techniques. This paper defines the concept of size for IT infrastructure projects. Specifically, the project size for IT infrastructure projects are measured in terms of the eight factors (server, workstation, printer, LAN, WAN, handheld, server applications, and client applications), infrastructure related software components, and the complexities defined based on the physical and functional categories of those factors.