Cost and value analysis of software development method focused on individual function

Abstract

In this paper, a technique of comparing software development methods by simulating value and cost is proposed. The proposed method calculates the final value and cost by decomposing the software requirements into multiple functions and evaluating the process of sequentially completing the individual functions. In the calculation, it is assumed that the value becomes high as the function is completed at an early stage, the cost becomes low when the same function is collectively developed, and the cost becomes high when the function is completed in a deliverable state. Using the proposed simulation, the value and cost for fictitious software were tried to calculate using three methods: Waterfall, Scrum, and Kanban. The calculation results display the same features as those of the three generally known methods. On the basis of the above-mentioned results, the proposed simulation is considered to be effective for providing guidelines in selecting a software development method. In contrast to the conventional method, the proposed method considers each individual function; thus, it is possible to evaluate the value and cost that conform to the requirements of individual software.