Development of a software effort and cost estimation tool based on FEMSEC
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2008
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Abstract
A software cost estimation model is essential for accurate estimation of software effort and cost. An accurate estimation is one of most important factors for projects' success as it provides project managers with key information for project planning and control. In the research of literature, a number of cost estimation models have been proposed. However, existing models and techniques are not accurate enough for estimating complex real world projects in software engineering based on literature review. This thesis systematically reviews different software effort and cost estimation models and technologies. Theoretical analyses and empirical experiments show that the persistent problems in software effort and cost estimation is not only a technical one, but also a fundamental theoretical one, where new theories and mathematical models still need to be sought, such as what dominates software development effort in a large group? How labour is traded with time in a project setting? What is the optimal organization form of a large software project? In this thesis, the models COCOMO II and FEMSEC are comparatively studied, and the ways to combine them are analyzed. It's found that in the former, the approach to calculate the range of estimates is questionable because the team size factor is not considered. The FEMSEC model reveals that team size is one of most important factors in a software project organization and its estimation, because the form of interpersonal coordination fundamentally impacts project efforts and outcomes. Based on these analyses, it's found that the way to get more accurate estimation in COCOMO II, especially for large-scale software projects, may be improved on the basis of the FEMSEC theory. A set of experiments are conducted to validate the hypothesis. An Integrated Software Engineering Cost Estimation (ISECE) tool is developed based on FEMSEC and the results of case studies. This work demonstrates that the ISECE tool with underpinning theories of FEMSEC, as well as the integration of FEMSEC with COCOMO II, can significantly improve software effort and cost estimations in software enineering.
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Bibliography: p. 114-123
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Citation
Shen, J. (2008). Development of a software effort and cost estimation tool based on FEMSEC (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/2767