On the portability of quantitative software estimation models

Working Paper, Alfred P. Sloan School of ManagementEvidence in the literature indicates that the portability of currently available quantitative software estimation models is poor. A primary reason is that most models fail to account for managerial characteristics of the software development environment; a set of factors that tend to vary signinificantly from one organization to another. A major stumbling block has been the inability to quantify the impact of managerial -type factors on cost.In this study, we take a first step towards rectifying this situation. An extensive simulation model of the software development process is developed and used to identify managerial factors that impact the cost of software development, and to quantify the degree of that impact. Because the areas identified are variables that the project manager can objectively evaluate at the beginning of a software project, it should be feasible to incorporate them in future cost estimation models. This, we feel, would improve both their accuracy and portability