21-12-2012, 04:52 PM
Establishing the Optimal Software Cost Equation Using
Cost Affecting Factors and Elitist Gene Expression
Programming
Establishing the Optimal Software Cost Equation.pdf (Size: 338.34 KB / Downloads: 21)
Abstract-
Accurate estimation of software’s cost is one of the
most intricate activity during the software development lifecycle.
There are many factors that directly or indirectly affect the
development cost of any software and these factors range from
the size of the software to the experience of project manager.
Calculating and interpreting these factors would be much
valuable in software cost estimation if an ideal relationship
between cost and these factors is found out. In this paper we have
tried to identify some of the critical factors that affect the cost
and we have also attempted to create a software cost equation
that institutes the relationship between these factors and the
software cost, using Gene Expression Programming. Our aim is
to create an optimized model for cost estimation that includes
least number of most acute factors for more accurate predictions.
To settle this relationship, we have used Gene Expression
Programming, a variant of Genetic Programming, because of its
proven potential in evolving mathematical equations.
INTRODUCTION
Software cost estimation is one of the widely researched
areas related to software engineering and software project
management. It is the most onerous task which is perilous for
its customers, developers and users because it severely affects
the total software project management process, including
contract negotiations, scheduling, resource allocation and
project planning [1, 2]. Overestimation of cost may result in
the failure to win the project contract or over employment of
the resources while underestimating it may result in
undeveloped functions, low quality and late deliveries. So it is
a considerably important activity to envisage the software cost
and its component units as early as possible in the
development process so as to shape the future development
plans [3]. One can also claim that the timely production of
quality software also depends on this estimation.
FACTORS AFFECTING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COST
Finding the software cost function is the most arduous task in
the field of software engineering, since there are many factors
that simultaneously and synchronously affect the software
development activities during the whole development life
cycle. We have analyzed some hundred projects from ISBSG
data repository [33] to find out the most prominent factors, so
as to quantify the effect of these parameters on the software
cost, using Gene Expression Programming. The following
factors are the prerequisite for cost estimation: