An investigation of the applicability of integer programming to the scheduling of computer software development

Includes bibliographical references (pages 87-90)This study investigates the applicability of integer programming\ud as an aid for managers in scheduling software development. The purpose\ud of this aid is to group software components for delivery at different\ud times to meet managerial priorities as closely as possible while\ud respecting resource and other constraints. A minimum number of\ud components is required for delivery at the end of each time period.\ud Cost estimates are required for each component. Constraints on\ud expenses and manpower for each period are also included in the\ud model. The objective is to schedule the maximum number of the most\ud desirable components in each period.\ud Integer programming was found to be useful in constructing\ud schedules for delivery of software components. Difficulties experienced in excessive computation time were reduced by separating the model into subproblems. A method was developed which permitted the solution of all the subproblems without resubmitting revised data\ud after each subproblem solution. A priority structure for the scheduling decision model was\ud developed from a survey of experts. Several methods of synthesizing\ud the results of the survey were compared against the priority\ud structure which actually emerged in a contractual situation. A\ud simple majority voting system seemed to be most applicable