Systematic defects in software cost-estimation models harm management

Abstract

As software development becomes an increasingly important enterprise, managerial requirements for cost estimation increase, yet developmers continue a rather a long history of failing to cost software systems development adequately. Here, it is contented that poor results are due, in part, to some traditionally recognized problems and, in part, to a defect in the models themselves. Identifying the defect of software cost models is the purpose of this paper.