software estimating technology a survey（软件估算技术的一项调查）（11页）.docVIP

ESoftware Estimating Technology: A Survey Richard D. Stutzke, Science Applications International Corp. /crosstalk/1996/05/Estimati.asp Introduction Our world increasingly relies on software. There is a seemingly insatiable demand for more functionality, interfaces that are easier to use, faster response, and fewer defects. Developers must strive to achieve these objectives while simultaneously reducing development costs and cycle time. Above all, senior management wants software delivered on schedule and within cost, a rarity in past software development projects. Software process improvement (SPI), as advocated by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), helps to achieve these objectives. Project planning and tracking are identified as two key process areas in the SEIs Capability Maturity Model. Software cost and schedule estimation supports the planning and tracking of software projects. Estimation is receiving renewed attention during the 1990s decade to cope with new ways to build software and provide more accurate and dependable estimates of costs and schedules. This article discusses problems encountered in software estimation, surveys previous work in the field, describes current work, provides an approach to improve software estimation, and offers some predictions and advice concerning software estimation. Description of the Problem The estimator must estimate the effort (person hours) and duration (calendar days) for the project to enable managers to assess important quantities such as product costs, return on investment, time to market, and quality. The estimation process is difficult for several reasons. The first problem is that projects often must satisfy conflicting goals. Projects to develop (or maintain) software must provide specified functionality within specified performance criteria, within a specified cost and schedule, and with some desired level of quality (absence of defects). Software engineering processes can be chosen to meet any