Cost estimation of a software product using COCOMO II.2000 model – a case study

Abstract

This paper discusses the estimation cost in terms of effort spent on a software product (project). COCOMO II.2000 Model has been employed for estimating the effort of an embedded system project. This study has been made in a software services company, which is involved in software development for an embedded system, client-server and Internet environment. The embedded systems group is involved in developing software for major car manufacturers. This study is based on a sample of ten projects, of which eight are development projects and two are porting projects. The actual effort on the projects has been collected from the metrics database of the company. The Lines of code for the various projects have been enumerated using “Code Count” tool to achieve the logical source lines of code for each project. The standard questionnaire has been used to collect the required data to arrive at the various scale factors and effort multipliers. The calibration of the COCOMO (Constructive Cost Model) has been done through Natural Log approach and curve fitting approach. Statistical tools like MS-EXCEL 2000, SPSSv10, Curve Expert 1.3 and data fit have been used for this purpose. The study shows that the curve fitting approach yields better estimates of the model parameters. The calibration of COCOMO Model helps the company estimate the effort that is to be spent on the software development projects.