A Discrete-Event Simulation tool for decision support in selecting project scheduling strategies

Abstract

In software engineering, project scheduling is an essential factor that determines success of projects. Success is influenced by various project scheduling estimates, such as accurate estimates of project's duration and budget. These estimates highly depend on uncertainties related to commonly occurring unpredictable events during a project's duration. Furthermore, budget and duration estimates depend on the available teams and their performance levels with respect to tasks and circumstances. This paper proposes a data-driven Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) approach to provide decision support to project managers in project scheduling. Moreover, we introduce a tool that we developed for this purpose, which features various visualizations of results and helps project managers compare different strategies and parameters.