Abstract
SDCE (Software Development Cost Estimation) has always been an interesting and budding field in Software Engineering. This study supports the SDCE by exploring its techniques and models and collecting them in one place. This contribution in the literature will assist future researchers to get maximum knowledge about SDCE techniques and models from one paper and to save their time. In this paper, we review numerous software development effort and cost estimation models and techniques, which are divided into different categories. These categories are parametric models, expertise-based techniques, learning-oriented techniques, dynamicsbased models, regression-based techniques, fuzzy logic-based methods, size-based estimation models, and composite techniques. Some other techniques which directly do not lie in any specific category are also briefly explained. We have concluded that no single technique is best for all situations; rather they are applicable in different nature of projects. All techniques have their own pros and cons and they are challenged by the rapidly changing software industry. Since no single technique gives a hundred percent accuracy, that is why one technique and model should not be preferred over all others. We recommend a hybrid approach for SDCE because in this way the limitations of one model and technique are complemented by the merits of the other model/technique. We also recommend a model calibration to obtain accurate results because if a model was developed in a different environment, we cannot expect reliable estimates from it in a completely new environment.
Highlights
SDCE is a primary activity in project management to manage resources in an effective way by predicting the required amount of effort to fulfill a given task [1]
The accurate effort estimates, which have a major impact on software development management, increase the chances of accomplishing the required work related to a software project within time and budget
Software development effort and cost estimation is an interesting area in software development
Summary
SDCE is a primary activity in project management to manage resources in an effective way by predicting the required amount of effort to fulfill a given task [1]. The accurate effort estimates, which have a major impact on software development management, increase the chances of accomplishing the required work related to a software project within time and budget. If the manager’s estimate is too low, it will cause a. If the manager’s estimate is too high, development resources and personnel will be overly allocated to the project, making a company failed to secure a contract due to noncompetitive contract bids. Much research has been carried out that increasing demands of high-quality software through effective cost estimation. The vital issue which is closely related to the software projects financial aspects is the accurate estimation of software cost. This will help with the management of software projects budgets. Software estimation supports in fixing the exact targets in software project completion [5]
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