[net.sources] Software Cost Estimation Tool Available

ligett@wivax.UUCP (06/13/84)

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                WICOMO Software Cost Estimation Tool Available

WICOMO  is  an  interactive  software cost estimation model based on the COCOMO
model  developed  at  TRW  and  described  in  Barry  Boehm's  book   "Software
Engineering  Economics"  (Prentice-Hall, 1983).  WICOMO has been distributed to
more than 80 companies.

WICOMO calculates estimates of man-months of effort, cost,  and  schedule  time
required  for a project based on its size and a number of additional parameters
(called "cost drivers").  The input to the model consists of:

   - The "Development Mode" (Organic, Semidetached, or Embedded)
   - Values of each of the 14 cost drivers
   - The Cost per Man-Month of Analyst and Programmer time
   - An Estimate of the Number of Source Instructions

                              WICOMO COST DRIVERS

The cost drivers vary from project to project.  A manager or software  engineer
using  WICOMO  will  choose  the  appropriate  values for a given project.  The
following cost drivers are used  in  the  COCOMO  model  to  derive  estimates:

Required Software Reliability           Database Size
Product Complexity                      Execution Time Constraint
Virtual Machine Volatility              Computer Turnaround Time
Analyst Capability                      Analyst Experience
Programmer Capability                   Virtual Machine Experience
Programming Language Experience         Required Implementation Schedule
Use of Software Tools                   Use of Modern Programming Practices

                            AVAILABILITY OF WICOMO

The  WICOMO  Tool  is  an  implementation of Boehm's Detailed COCOMO Model.  An
understanding of the COCOMO model is assumed of WICOMO users.  Neither the Tool
nor  supporting  documentation  includes  explanatory  information  about   the
theoretical  and empirical basis for the model; the user is referred to Boehm's
text for such information.

WICOMO is written in Pascal, and is currently  operational  on  the  Prime  750
(Primos),  the  VAX  (Unix  4.1  or  VMS),  the Wang PC, and the IBM PC.  It is
screen-oriented and requires the use of a CRT.

The WICOMO tool is copyrighted by Wang Institute.  It is distributed for a  fee
of  $70.   WICOMO will not be distributed over USENET.  To get more information
about WICOMO, or instructions on how to order it, contact:

     Joan Kelleher
     Manager, Software Distribution
     Wang Institute of Graduate Studies
     Tyng Road
     Tyngsboro, Massachusetts  01879
     (617) 649-9731

     decvax!wivax!kelleher            (USENET) (Include your US mail address)
     kelleher.wang-inst@csnet-relay   (CSNET)  (Include your US mail address)