clarkm@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (03/28/89)
/* Written 10:30 am Mar 24, 1989 by victor@concour.CS.Concordia.CA in iuvax:comp.software-eng */ In article <351@tahoma.UUCP> lrm5110@tahoma.UUCP (Larry R. Masden) writes: >I've seen references to a method of estimating software >development schedules and costs called COCOMO. I'm interested, >and I would appreciate some good references or brief descriptions >of the system. > >Thanks! > A brief description can be found on pp. 76-82 in a book by Richard Fairley called "Software Engineering Concepts" (McGraw-Hill, Inc.). Call letters are QA76.6.F35 1985. It's a pretty popular book & should be available in all university libraries. This book gives a broad overall picture of S.E. /* End of text from iuvax:comp.software-eng */
clarkm@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (03/28/89)
The COCOMO model was designed by B. Boehm and is thouroughly discussed
in his book "Software Engineering Economics".
The model has three levels of detail: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced.
The Basic model is just that, basic. It has formulas for calculating,
based on the number of lines of deliverable source code, the number
of programmer-months required to develop the system. Using the calculated
PMs the development time may be calculated. Finally by using the # of PMs
and the time required you can caculate the number of programmers needed
to complete the job.
The Intermediate takes more variables into consideration such as tools
available, programmer experience, etc. The advanced model goes even
further.
Within each level of detail jobs are categorized in three ways: Organic,
Semi-detached and embedded. Each model has its own set of equations
for calculating the above info. These modes are determined by the
compexity of the job.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matt Clark
Local : iuvax::clarkm
Internet: clarkm@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
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"What a long strange trip it's been"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~sheppards@tiger.UUCP (Scott Sheppard) (03/28/89)
The primary reference to COCOMO is the book by its originator:
Barry W. Boehm
Software Engineering Economics
Prentice-Hall, 1981
The formulas in this book are easy to find. I actually set up a
lotus spreadsheet on the PC to do the calculations. It's very simple.
There is no need to buy a COCOMO package. You can even set up all 3
models described in the book. Go to your library, you'll be glad
you did.
--
Scott Sheppard
UUCP: ...!ncar!noao!asuvax!gtephx!sheppardsgill@sfsup.UUCP (Timothy D. Gill) (03/29/89)
One commercial software package that implements the COCOMO model is offered by SoftStar Systems, Amherst, NH, (603) 672-0987. I don't know much about it other than that it is an enhanced and commercialized version of WICOMO from the Wang Institute of Graduate Studies.