Optimization of software cost estimation using harmony search algorithm

Accurate estimation of software costs is one of the key and most important activities in development of software projects. Uncertainty and intricacy of software systems has made it difficult to efficiently and effectively develop software and has led to software systems' tendency to new optimal techniques. Prediction of the required effort for developing software has benefited significant progression owing the application of Meta-heuristic optimization Algorithms such algorithms have the potential to be applied as credible and useful tools in software cost estimation. In this paper the COCOMO effort estimation method is optimized using Meta-heuristic harmony search Algorithm. Nasa dataset was used in order to test the results. The purpose of optimization methods in software efforts estimation is to decrease the Mean Magnitude of Relative Error which in this case led to almost 21% optimization.