A simplified model of software project dynamics

Abstract

The simulation of a dynamic model for software development projects (hereinafter SDPs) helps to investigate the impact of a technological change, of different management policies, and of maturity level of organisations over the whole project. In the beginning of the 1990s, with the appearance of the dynamic model for SDPs by Abdel-Hamid and Madnick [Software Project Dynamics: An Integrated Approach, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1991], a significant advance took place in the field of project management. From this work, several dynamic models have been developed in order to simulate the behaviour of these kinds of projects. From the comparison made between one of the best known empirical estimation models and dynamic estimation models, we have analysed the existing problems in dynamic models in order to make dynamic estimations at the early stages of software projects, when little information is available. We present the results obtained from a Reduced Dynamic Model developed to estimate and analyse the behaviour of SDPs in the early phases, in which there is not much information regarding the project. The modelling approach followed to obtain this simplified model has been determined by the simplification of Abdel-Hamid and Madnick's model using the works of Eberlein [Syst. Dyn. Rev. 1(5) (1989) 51] about understanding and simplification of models.