Software cost estimating system

A study was made of computer software and factors which may influence the development and maintenance costs in terms of man hours. Data was gathered using surveys. Hie responses to the survey questions were quantized a database was designed, and the data was entered into the database. Report generators were developed to output various data in a readable form.

An attempt was made to develop a reliable method of estimating man hours spent developing and subsequently modifying and enhancing software systems. A secondary goal was to show that the methods used in maintaining a system are as important as the initial development methods and that the development methods influence the maintenance effort. A group of attributes were selected which best applied to the installation where data was gathered. Anong these, nary have been studied previously and some have not, namely security classification and a breakdown of number of people per development phase, average years of experience of people during the different development phases, and the structured methodology of each phase.

Maintenance attributes included some development attributes as well as adding new ones. The maintenance of the structured development documentation was also considered.