Optimization of use case point through the use of metaheuristic algorithm in estimating software effort

Abstract

Use Case Points estimation framework relies on the complexity weight parameters to estimate software development projects. However, due to the discontinue parameters, it lead to abrupt weight classification and results in inaccurate estimation. Several research studies have addressed these weaknesses by employing various approaches, including fuzzy logic, regression analysis, and optimization techniques. Nevertheless, the utilization of optimization techniques to determine use case weight parameter values has yet to be extensively explored, with the potential to enhance accuracy further. Motivated by this, the current research delves into various metaheuristic search-based algorithms, such as genetic algorithms, Firefly algorithms, Reptile search algorithms, Particle swarm optimization, and Grey Wolf optimizers. The experimental investigation was carried out using a Silhavy UCP estimation dataset, which contains 71 project data from three software houses and is publicly available. Furthermore, we compared the performance between models based on metaheuristic algorithms. The findings indicate that the performance of the Firefly algorithm outperforms the others based on five accuracy metrics: mean absolute error, mean balance relative error, mean inverted relative error, standardized accuracy, and effect size.