J C Huang-Software Cost Estimation.pptVIP

Software Cost Estimation J. C. Huang Department of Computer Science University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-3010 On Precision It is the mark of an instructed mind to rest satisfied with the degree of precision which the nature of subject admits, and not to seek exactness when only an approximation of the truth is possible... -Aristotle An Observation Estimation of resources, cost, and schedule for a software development effort requires experience, access to good historical information, and the courage to commit to quantitative measures when qualitative data are all that exist. Another Observation ? Estimation for software project carries inherent risk because of uncertainty in project complexity, project size, and structure (of requirements and problem to be solved). Major Factors Major factors that influence software cost: product size and complexity programmer ability available time required reliability level of technology Three Approaches Estimation can be done by using experience and historical data decomposition techniques empirical models Decomposition Techniques To obtain an estimation, we can decompose the problem to be solved, or decompose the process. Decomposition Decomposition should be done in such a way that 1. size can be properly estimated, 2. cost or effort required for each component can be accurately estimated, 3. the teams ability to handle the components is well known, and 4. the estimated values will be relatively unaffected by changes to the requirements. Problem-Based Estimation 1. Based on the software scope, decompose the software into problem functions that can be estimated individually. 2. Estimate LOC or FP of each function. 3. Make optimistic (sopt), most likely (sm), and pessimistic (spess) estimates for each item. Then compute the expected value: EV = (sopt + 4 sm + spess)/6 4. Apply baseline productivity metrics to compute estimated cost or effort. Process-Based Estimation Decompose the process into a set of tasks or ac