vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
1
TITLE
PAGE
DECLARATION
ii
DEDICATION
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
iv
ABSTRACT
v
ABSTRAK
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
vii
LIST OF TABLES
xi
LIST OF FIGURES
xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES
xv
INTRODUCTION
1
1.1
Overview
1
1.2
Research Background
3
1.3
Problem Statement
5
1.3.1 Domain Problems
5
1.3.2 Technical Problems
6
1.4
Research Questions
6
1.5
Research Hypotheses
7
1.6
Research Goal
8
1.7
Research Objectives
8
1.8
Scope of Research
9
1.9
Research Justification
9
1.9.1 Importance of Software Development Effort
Estimation
9
1.9.2 Localization of Estimation Process
10
viii
2
LITERATURE REVIEW
11
2.1
Introduction
11
2.2
The Role of Estimation in Project Management
12
2.3
Software Projects and Estimation Process
14
2.4
Existing Estimation Methods
16
2.4.1 Static Methods
17
2.4.1.1 Source Line of Code
18
2.4.1.2 Function Point Size Estimates
18
2.4.1.3 COCOMO 81
20
2.4.1.4 COCOMO II
24
2.4.1.5 Regression Method
25
2.4.2 Dynamic Methods
3
26
2.4.2.1 Analogy Based Estimation
26
2.4.2.2 Expert Judgment
27
2.4.2.3 Soft Computing Methods
28
2.4.3 Analytical Studies
29
2.4.4 Survey-Based Studies
30
2.4.4.1 Accuracy of Effort Estimation
30
2.4.4.2 Effort Estimation Methods
32
2.4.4.3 Obstacles and Limitations
33
2.4.4.4 Importance of Effort Estimation
33
2.4.4.5 Time of Effort Estimation
34
2.4.4.6 Goal of Effort Estimation
35
2.4.4.7 Discussion
35
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
37
3.1
Introduction
37
3.2
Operational Framework
38
3.2.1 Phase A: Initial Planning
41
3.2.2 Phase B: Literature Review
41
3.2.3 Phase C: Research Design
42
3.2.3.1 Problem Finding
42
3.2.3.2 Determining the Scope of Survey
44
3.2.3.3 Determining the Project Attributes
46
ix
3.2.3.4 Identifying the Limitation and
Obstacles
51
3.2.3.5 Determining the Management
Issues
52
3.2.3.6 Design the Effort Etimation Status
Form
54
3.2.3.7 Identification of Respondents
57
3.2.4 Phase D: Data Collection
3.2.4.1 Quantitative
58
3.2.4.2 Qualitative
59
3.2.5 Phase E: Analysis and Conclusion
61
3.2.5.1 SPSS Software
61
3.2.5.2 Statistical Techniques
62
3.2.6 Phase F: Report Writing
4
58
63
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
64
4.1
Introduction
64
4.2
Statistical Analysis of Results
64
4.2.1 Specifications of Respondents
64
4.2.2 Estimation Process
67
4.2.2.1 The Selection of Estimation
Method
67
4.2.2.2 The Roles Involved in Estimation
Process
67
4.2.2.3 The Goal of Effort Estimation
68
4.2.2.4 The Time of Effort Estimation
69
4.2.2.5 Importance of Effort Estimation
70
4.2.2.6 Satisfaction of Estimation Effort
70
4.2.2.7 Status of Projects Done by Teams
71
4.2.2.8 Communication with Existing
Effort Estimation Methods
72
4.2.3 Management of Effort Estimation
73
4.2.4 Limitations and Obstacles
73
4.2.5 Project Attributes
76
4.2.5.1 The Effect of Organization Type
on Development Effort
76
4.2.5.2 The Effect of Development Type
on Development Effort
77
x
4.2.5.3 Distribution of Effort in Different
Phases
78
4.2.5.4 The Effect of Development
Technique on Development Effort
79
4.2.5.5 The Effect of Programming
Language on Development Effort
80
4.2.5.6 The Effect of Case Tools on
Development Effort
80
4.2.5.7 The Effect of Development Target
on Development Effort
81
4.2.6 Investigate the Validation of Hypotheses
5
82
4.2.6.1 Investigation of Hypothesis 1
82
4.2.6.2 Investigation of Hypothesis 2
82
4.2.6.3 Investigation of Hypothesis 3
83
4.2.6.4 Investigation of Hypothesis 4
83
4.2.6.5 Investigation of Hypothesis 5
84
4.2.6.6 Investigation of Hypothesis 6
84
4.2.6.7 Investigation of Hypothesis 7
85
4.2.6.8 Investigation of Hypothesis 8
85
4.2.6.9 Investigation of Hypothesis 9
89
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
92
5.1
Introduction
92
5.2
Discussion on Results
92
5.2.1 Estimation Process
93
5.2.2 Project Attributes
94
5.2.3 Management Indicators
97
5.2.4 Limiations and Obstacles
97
5.2.5 Hypothesis
98
A Comparison between Current Survey and
Previous Survey
101
5.4
Thesis Contributions
102
5.5
Future Work
103
5.3
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
105
113-124
xi
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE NO.
TITLE
PAGE
2.1
Estimation Process in Software Projects
15
2.2
Function Point Components
19
2.3
Comparing LOC and FP metrics
20
2.4
Basic COCOMO coefficients
21
2.5
Intermediate COCOMO effort drivers
22
2.6
Intermediate COCOMO coefficients
23
2.7
Scale factors of COCOMO II
24
2.8
COCOMO II effort drivers
25
3.1
Operational framework
39
3.2
Limitation factors against accurate estimation
51
3.3
Management issues related to estimation which
must be investigated
52
3.4
Design of Hypotheses
56
4.1
Distribution of developers in sections of company
65
4.2
The team size of developers
66
4.3
Selection of effort estimation methods
67
4.4
Roles involved in estimation process
68
4.5
Developers’ goals to do effort estimation
69
4.6
Stage of effort estimation
69
4.7
Status of effort estimation
71
4.8
The effect of obstacles on accuracy of estimates
72
4.9
Management indicator for effort estimations
74
4.10
The effect of obstacles on accuracy of estimates
75
4.11
Which organization type leads to more development
effort
77
xii
4.12
Which development type leads to more development
effort
78
4.13
Which phase needs more effort
78
4.14
Which development technique needs more effort
79
4.15
Non-parametric correlation for Hypothesis 1
82
4.16
Non-parametric correlation for Hypothesis 2
83
4.17
Non-parametric correlation for Hypothesis 3
83
4.18
Non-parametric correlation for Hypothesis 4
84
4.19
Chi Square test for Hypothesis 5
86
4.20
Chi Square test for Hypothesis 6
87
4.21
Chi Square test for Hypothesis 7
88
4.22
Chi Square test for Hypothesis 8
90
4.23
Chi Square test for Hypothesis 9
91
xiii
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE NO.
TITLE
PAGE
2.1
How does estimation become accurate
16
2.2
Existing software development effort estimation
methods
19
2.3
An example of using Delphi
28
2.4
Prior survey-based studies
31
2.5
Publication year of survey-based studies
35
3.1
Research Phases
38
3.2
Research Framework
43
3.3
Scope of Investigation
44
3.4
Investigation indicators
45
3.5
Effort estimation status form
55
3.6
Respondents frequency
57
4.1
Distribution of developers in sections of company
65
4.2
Frequency of respondents located in different
team size
66
Importance level of effort estimation from
developers’ perspective
70
Satisfaction level of effort estimation from
developers’ perspective
71
The effect of organization type on development
effort from developers’ perspective
76
The effect of development type on development
effort
77
The effect of development technique on
development effort
79
The effect of programming language on
development effort
80
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
xiv
4.9
The effect of CASE tools on development effort
81
4.10
The effect of development target on
development effort
81
EESF provided for selected Company
104
5.1
xv
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX
TITLE
PAGE
A
Publications
113
B
Effort Estimation Status Questionnaire
114