ISMA 2025 and the measurement of Artificial Intelligence

The IFPUG International Software Measurement & Analysis Conference (ISMA 2025) returned to Asia after several years without being held in the region. The event, sponsored by Quanter, took place on September 25th at the EL Tower in Seoul, and was organized in collaboration with the Korean Software Measurement Association (KOSMA).

The conference brought together, both online and in person, over 300 international experts in software measurement, along with IT leaders and project managers from both the public and private sectors, to discuss the event’s theme:
“Beyond Limits: Unlocking IT Power with Smart Metrics.”

The sessions explored practical ways to apply functional and non-functional metrics to artificial intelligence (AI) projects, highlighting measurement as the foundation for transparent and efficient IT project execution.

AI and metrics: a strategic alliance

IFPUG President Roopali Anand Thapar opened the conference with a keynote on how to use Function Point Analysis (FPA) to estimate intelligent agents capable of learning, reasoning, and interacting. During her talk, Thapar stated:

“AI without metrics is like driving without a dashboard. FPA gives us visibility, helps us anticipate, and enables better decision-making”.

Another highlight of the day was the presentation by our Chief Digital & AI Officer, Julián Gómez, also Director of Marketing & Partnerships at IFPUG, entitled “AI Superpowers to Enrich Software Development.”

In his session, Gómez demonstrated how AI can act as a copilot throughout the entire development lifecycle: from writing requirements and estimating effort and cost, to automatically generating test cases. The combination of artificial intelligence and functional metrics helps accelerate value delivery and improve development quality, while maintaining full control over scope.

Measurement to build trust and transparency

The KOSMA delegation presented real-world cases demonstrating how South Korea has institutionalized functional measurement in the public sector, applying it to software project auditing, oversight, and sizing.

“Function Points are not just numbers; they are public trust turned into smart contracts,” emphasized Bonghyun Jo.

Innovation also had its space: Saurabh Saxena and Sushmitha Anantha explored the measurement of chatbots using FPA and SNAP, showing how these approaches can assess both functional behavior and non-functional requirements, such as performance, security, and user experience, in conversational AI systems.

A future focused on the user

The closing session, led by Yong-goo Lee, reminded participants that metrics must evolve to include the end-user perspective, something that, in the AI era, is not only important but essential to project success.

For Quanter, this edition reaffirms a core belief: combining objective metrics with artificial intelligence is the path toward smarter, more transparent, and sustainable software development.
Being part of events like ISMA 2025 inspires us to continue seeking new ways to bring value to the IT sector and the international measurement community.

Our sincere thanks to IFPUG and KOSMA for the excellent organization of this year’s event. See you at the next one!