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Cost estimation in software engineering is typically concerned with the financial spend on the effort to develop and test the software, this can also include requirements review, maintenance, training, managing and buying extra equipment, servers and software. Many methods have been developed for estimating software costs for a given project.
Methods for estimation in software engineering include these principles:
Most cost software development estimation techniques involve estimating or measuring software size first and then applying some knowledge of historical of cost per unit of size. Software size is typically sized in SLOC, Function Point or Agile story points.
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Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. The primary constraints are scope, time, and budget. The secondary challenge is to optimize the allocation of necessary inputs and apply them to meet pre-defined objectives.
Project management software (PMS) has the capacity to help plan, organize, and manage resource tools and develop resource estimates. Depending on the sophistication of the software, it can manage estimation and planning, scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, collaboration software, communication, decision-making, quality management, time management and documentation or administration systems. Numerous PC and browser-based project management software and contract management software products and services are available.
The Rational Unified Process (RUP) is an iterative software development process framework created by the Rational Software Corporation, a division of IBM since 2003. RUP is not a single concrete prescriptive process, but rather an adaptable process framework, intended to be tailored by the development organizations and software project teams that will select the elements of the process that are appropriate for their needs. RUP is a specific implementation of the Unified Process.
The Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) is a procedural software cost estimation model developed by Barry W. Boehm. The model parameters are derived from fitting a regression formula using data from historical projects.
Cost estimation models are mathematical algorithms or parametric equations used to estimate the costs of a product or project. The results of the models are typically necessary to obtain approval to proceed, and are factored into business plans, budgets, and other financial planning and tracking mechanisms.
SEER for Software (SEER-SEM) is a project management application used to estimate resources required for software development.
The function point is a "unit of measurement" to express the amount of business functionality an information system provides to a user. Function points are used to compute a functional size measurement (FSM) of software. The cost of a single unit is calculated from past projects.
The Putnam model is an empirical software effort estimation model. The original paper by Lawrence H. Putnam published in 1978 is seen as pioneering work in the field of software process modelling. As a group, empirical models work by collecting software project data and fitting a curve to the data. Future effort estimates are made by providing size and calculating the associated effort using the equation which fit the original data.
Software sizing or Software size estimation is an activity in software engineering that is used to determine or estimate the size of a software application or component in order to be able to implement other software project management activities. Size is an inherent characteristic of a piece of software just like weight is an inherent characteristic of a tangible material.
In project management, accurate estimates are the basis of sound project planning. Many processes have been developed to aid engineers in making accurate estimates, such as
In software development, effort estimation is the process of predicting the most realistic amount of effort required to develop or maintain software based on incomplete, uncertain and noisy input. Effort estimates may be used as input to project plans, iteration plans, budgets, investment analyses, pricing processes and bidding rounds.
A glossary of terms relating to project management and consulting.
The project management triangle is a model of the constraints of project management. While its origins are unclear, it has been used since at least the 1950s. It contends that:
Daniel D. Galorath is an American software developer, businessman and author. Galorath is the President and CEO of Galorath Incorporated and one of the chief developers of the project management software known as SEER-SEM.
In software engineering, a software development process is a process of dividing software development work into smaller, parallel, or sequential steps or sub-processes to improve design and/or product management. It is also known as a software development life cycle (SDLC). The methodology may include the pre-definition of specific deliverables and artifacts that are created and completed by a project team to develop or maintain an application.
PRICE Systems was founded in 1975 as a business within the RCA Corporation. It is generally acknowledged as the earliest developer of parametric cost estimation software.
Arlene F. Minkiewicz is the Chief Scientist at PRICE Systems, a company generally acknowledged as the earliest developer of parametric cost estimation software. She leads the cost research activity for the entire suite of cost estimating products that PRICE develops and maintains. Minkiewicz has over 25 years of experience designing and implementing cost models.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to project management:
Use case points is a software estimation technique used to forecast the software size for software development projects. UCP is used when the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Rational Unified Process (RUP) methodologies are being used for the software design and development. The concept of UCP is based on the requirements for the system being written using use cases, which is part of the UML set of modeling techniques. The software size (UCP) is calculated based on elements of the system use cases with factoring to account for technical and environmental considerations. The UCP for a project can then be used to calculate the estimated effort for a project.
SNAP is the acronym for "Software Non-functional Assessment Process," a measurement of the size of the software derived by quantifying the non-functional user requirements for the software. The SNAP sizing method complements ISO/IEC 20926:2009, which defines a method for the sizing of functional software user requirements. SNAP is a product of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG), and is sized using the “Software Non-functional Assessment Process (SNAP) Assessment Practices Manual” (APM) now in version 2.4. Reference “IEEE 2430-2019-IEEE Trial-Use Standard for Non-Functional Sizing Measurements,” published October 19, 2019. Also reference ISO standard “Software engineering — Trial use standard for software non-functional sizing measurements,”, published October 2021. For more information about SNAP please visit YouTube and search for "IFPUG SNAP;" this will provide a series of videos overviewing the SNAP methodology.