International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Volume 118 No. 20 2018, 269-273 ISSN: 1311-8080 (printed version); ISSN: 1314-3395 (on-line version) url: http://www.ijpam.eu Special Issue ijpam.eu

IMPORTANCE OF SOFTWARE SIZING IN SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT: A STUDY

1T.S.Shiny Angel, 2N.Snehalatha, 3S.Amutha, 4John T. Mesiah Dhas 1,2,3 SRM University, Chennai 4RVS Padmavathi College of Engineering &Technology, Chennai

Abstract: Software size is the key factor to determine because the above stated sizing techniques are not good the planning activities of software development for sizing all kind of software. They are good for process. For the successful completion of software specific applications. The following sections describe development process, perfect planning is necessary. Literature review, Application focus of sizing During planning Software Size assessed, effort techniques. estimated in person hour or in person months, cost and budget calculated, schedule prepared, resources and 2. Importance of Size Based on Literature works allocation process to be completed. The software size is very important for perfect planning of Software sizing has attracted tremendous attention from development process because Size is the base factor to the software engineering research community. In the determine effort, duration, schedule, cost and etc. that beginning of software era, size is the major factor for affect the development process. The sizing techniques assessing the productivity. Later on stage it is turned to followed in the industry are not covering all aspects of be a dominant factor to manage the life cycle of software so size and size based parameters are leading software development. A number of studies have been difficulties in planning. Planning is the important published to address size estimation and the related Project management activity. This research paper focus problems, such as software costing, software on importance of Sizing and analyze the application productivity factors, effort, duration estimation models focus of sizing techniques. for software development and maintenance. Mehwish Nasir, H. Farooq Ahmad [4] suggested Keywords: Software Project Management, Software that formal methods for estimating size, effort and cost Project Planning, Software Sizing. for the project should be implemented apart from heuristics used for estimation. Different estimation 1. Introduction methodologies are applicable in different categories of projects. None of them gives 100% accuracy but proper Software sizing is an activity in software engineering use of them makes estimation process smoother. that is used to measure the quantity of a software Accurate software estimation is desirable in any application or component in order to be able to software application, not only to properly schedule, implement other software project management budget, resources, time, and cost and avoid overrun but activities. Software project management is the process also to reasonably estimate as software organizations of planning, implementing, and monitoring, controlling, with better estimates and planning will be able to get leading and managing software projects. It is a sub- the projects in bidding. Pre-bid estimation is paramount discipline of project management [1]. For the in getting business for the company. Accuracy of the successful completion of software development pre-bid estimation governs the smooth running and process, perfect planning is necessary. Size is the base success of a project. Practice followed for software factor to determine effort, duration, schedule, cost and estimation is etc. that affect the development process [2]. The a) Software Size computation software industry uses various sizing techniques to b) Effort estimation in person-hour is derived from quantify the software size. They are Lines of code, software size. Function points, Feature points, Use case points, Object c) Cost & budget calculation. points, Internet points, etc. These sizing techniques are d) Proper scheduling, resource allocation is done asa programming language dependent or programming final step. methodology dependent. The sizing technique is not Mahir Kaya et al., [5] states that Software size is effectively supported to determine the size of a the key input for cost and effort estimation models. The software system that affects all estimates [3]. E- effort and cost estimations as well as software size is Commerce, E-Business, E-Learning system like web needed at as early a phase of the project as possible. applications, size determination is the major problem

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Daniel V. Ferens et al., [6] discusses the issue of size, cost, and schedule of software projects. However, software size estimation, a key consideration in the ability to accurately estimate software cost, size, or estimating software costs. Although software sizing is a schedule is still dubious. relatively new area of interest, numerous techniques The popular Effort and cost estimation models are have been developed to predict software size. However, COCOMO [12], SLIM [13], Function Point, Use Case the usefulness of various techniques is dependent on Points [14] and SEER-SEM [15].The main cost driver the unique situation of the estimator. Furthermore, of these models is the software size. In COCOMO and some techniques are of questionable validity. SLIM models, the size is measured in Source Lines of Nevertheless, the area of software size estimation will Code (SLOC). However, the function point and the use continue to receive emphasis and new techniques will case point models take software size in function points continue to emerge (FP) and use case points (UCP) respectively. Expert Renowned cost analyst Dr. Barry Boehm [10-11] Judgment, Estimation by analogy are the other human states, "The biggest difficulty in using today's based models. Expert judgment involves consulting a algorithmic software cost models is the problem of group of experts to use their experiences to propose an providing sound size estimates" estimation of a given project [16]. The Delphi Edilson J. D. Candido et al., [7] presented that technique is used to provide communication and Software size estimation is a key factor to determine cooperation among the experts [17].These models also the amount of time and effort needed to develop used size as the base factor. The sizing approach may software systems. use is based on their expertise. Steven Fraser et al., [8] judges that “The consequences of poor or good judgment in estimation are reflected in 3. Sizing Approach and Estimation Models software quality, cost, time-to-market, and operational reliability”. The following table 1 describes other Cost and Effort Daniel V. Ferens [9] state that there are many Estimation Models and the sizing approaches used by sophisticated models and methods for estimating the them for cost and Effort estimation.

Table 1. Significance of sizing approaches in Effort and Cost Estimation Models

Sl.No Cost/Effort Estimation Models Used Sizing Technique 1 COCOMO(Constructive Cost Model) LOC 2 KnowledgePlan LOC or IFPUG’s FPA 3 PRICE -S LOC, IFPUG’s FPA 4 SEER-SEM LOC or IFPUG’s FPA 5 SLIM LOC 6 Basili -1996 LOC 7 Niessink and Van Vliet- 1998 IFPUG’s FPA, 8 Abran -1995 Extended IFPUG’s FPA 9 Abran -2002 COSMIC-FFP 10 Caivano -2001 LOC 11 Sneed- 2004 LOC, IFPUG’s FPA, Object-points 12 Jorgensen- 1995 LOC 13 De Lucia -2005 LOC

Also shows that size is the basic input to estimate cost, effort and other parameters of software. It implies the importance of sizing.

4. Sizing Approaches and their Application Focus

The available sizing techniques focused only specific type of applications because the used parameters for sizing the software is more close to those applications. The following table 2 describe about the sizing approaches and their application focus[18-22].

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Table 2. The sizing approaches and their application focus

S.No Sizing Approaches Year and Author Application Focus 1 Lines of Code 1950’s Any Application but focusing on code Expert judgment Any kind of application but Expert 2 Helmer-1959 centralized 3 Software Science metric M.H.Halstead- 1969 Scientific Application 4 Function Point Analysis Allan Albrecht -1979 MIS like business Applications 5 DeMarco “bang” Function point Tom DeMarco-1982 System software, Scientific Software 6 Mark II Function Points in Charles Symons- 1983 System software mathematical conversion from source code 7 Backfiring Function points Capers Jones -1984 statements to equivalent function points Software productivity MIS like business Applications and it is 9 SPR function points research -1985 using Backfiring concept. Business Applications. It is a regularized International Function point 10 IFPUG Function points form of original function points developed user group -1986 by Albrecht of IBM Alan J. Albrecht and his team 11 Feature Points Real time systems -1986 Donald Umholtzand Arthur 11 Engineering Function points Scientific Application Leitgeb-1994 12 3D function point’s Scott Whitmire -1994 Scientific and Real time software 13 Object Point method Rajiv D.Banker-1994 GUI based Applications Netherlands Software MIS like business Applications, Real time 14 NESMA function points in Metrics Association-1995 systems 15 Data point Method 1997 Database sizing Common software 16 COSMIC Function points Measurement International Real time and Embedded software consortium, 1998 17 Story points 1999 Agile based software Development 18 Web object points Donald Reifer, 2000 Web systems UML based software sizing 19 Use Case Points Object oriented Software’s approach introduced in 2003 David Herron of David 20 Function points ‘light’ MIS like business Applications consulting group ELSE: E-Learning System T.S.Shiny Angel, Dr. Paul 21 E-Learning System Estimator Rodrigues, 2012

It shows that different applications required for calculating effort, cost, duration, schedule of the different sizing approaches. There is no common project. These project parameters are needful for approach to determine the size of all kind of software. perfect planning of project. Perfect planning leads to Capers Jones[1] highlighted that extending the concept perfect project management that implies Software of function points into Areas that lack in effective success. The sizing approaches mentioned in this paper measurements. If Size measurement of E-Commerce, are good to the specific type of application. So a E-Business, E-Learning system like web applications, common sizing approach is required. uses the above stated sizing approaches then it provides imprecise size because their application focus is References different than E-Commerce, E-Business or E-Learning system. These applications using database, huge [1] Capers Jones, “Applied Software volume of documents, share MIS features, web system Measurement-Global Analysis of Productivity and features, GUI technology involved. So a sizing Quality”,Tata McGraw Hill, Third Edition,2008, pp 71- approach required to size all kind of software systems 182.

[2] Richard D. Stutzke, “Estimating Software- 5. Conclusion Intensive Systems: Projects, Products and

processes”,SEI Series in Software Engineering, The above stated literatures and cost or effort Addison Wesley Edition,2005, pp 1-786. estimation models implying that size as the base factor

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[3] Capers Jones, “Estimating Software Costs: [17] N. Dalkey and O. Helmer, "An Experimental Bringing Realism to Estimating”, Tata McGraw Hill, Application of the Delphi Method to the Use of Second Edition,2007, pp 3-629. Experts," Management Science, 1963 pp. 458-467. [4] MehwishNasir, H. Farooq Ahmad, “An [18] T. S. Shiny Angel, Paul Rodrigues,(2012) Empirical Study to Investigate Software Estimation “ELSE:E-Learning System Estimator”, International Trend in Organizations Targeting CMMI SM , Review on Computers and Software, Vol. 7 n. 6, pp. Proceedings of the 5th IEEE/ACIS International 3033-3036, Nov- 2012 (Scopus Indexed). Conference on Computer and Information Science and [19] T. S. Shiny Angel, Paul Rodrigues, (2012) 1st IEEE/ACIS International Workshop on Component- “Size and Flexibility Metrics for E-Learning System”, Based Software Engineering, Software Architecture International Journal of Software Engineering and and Reuse (ICIS-COMSAR’06),IEEE, 2006. Technology, Vol. 4, No 7 , July 2012. [5] Mahir Kaya, OnurDemirörs, “E-Cosmic: A [20] T. S. Shiny Angel, Paul Business Process Model Based Functional Size Rodrigues,(2012)“Limitations of Function Point Estimation Approach”, 37th EUROMICRO Conference Analysis in E-Learning System Estimation”, on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications, International Journal of Computational Engineering IEEE, 2011, pp.404-408. Research, pp. 156 -161, July 2012. [6] Daniel V. Ferens, Softwafe size estimation [21] T. S. Shiny Angel, Paul Rodrigues,(2013),”A techniques, Air Force Institute of Technology Sizing Approach for E-Learning System”, International (AFIT/ISY), Wriqht-Patterson AEB, Ohio 45433, Journal of Emerging Trends and Technology, Special pp701-706. Issue, July 2013. [7] Edilson J. D. Cândido, RoselySanches, [22] T. S. Shiny Angel, Paul Rodrigues,(2015), “Estimating the size of webapplications by using a “Comparative Analysis of Sizing Techniques in the simplified function point method”,IEEE,2003. sense of E-Learning system”, International Journal of [8] Steven Fraser, Barry Boehm, HakanErdogmus, Applied Engineering Research, Volume 10, Number MagneJørgensen, Stan Rifkin, Mike Ross,”The Role of 16,pp 36303-36312, August 2015.(Scopus Indexed). Judgment in Software Estimation”, ICSE’09, [23] S.V.Manikanthan and K.Baskaran “Low Cost Vancouver, Canada, 2009 IEEE,pp 13-17. VLSI Design Implementation of Sorting Network for [9] Daniel V. Ferens, “ The Conundrum Software ACSFD in Wireless Sensor Network”, CiiT Estimation Models”, Air Force Research Laboratory International Journal of Programmable Device Circuits (AFRLIIFSD), IEEE, 1999 , pp 23-29. and Systems,Print: ISSN 0974 – 973X & Online: ISSN 0974 – 9624, Issue :November 2011, PDCS112011008. [10] Boehm, Barry W. "Software Engineering Economics", Tutorial, Software Management: Third [24] T. Padmapriya and V.Saminadan, “Handoff Edition, Washington, DC, IEEE Computer Society Decision for Multi-user Multiclass Traffic in MIMO- Press: 1986,p.148. LTE-A Networks”, 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Computing, Communication & Convergence [11] Boehm, Barry W. "Software Engineering (ICCC-2016) – Elsevier - Procedia of Computer Economics", Englewood Cliffs, NJ,Prentice Hall, 1981. Science, vol. 92, pp: 410-417, August 2016. [12] B. W. Boehm, “Software Engineering [25] Rajesh, M., and J. M. Gnanasekar. "An Economics”. Prentice-Hall, 1981. optimized congestion control and error management [13] L. H. Putnam, "A General Empirical Solution system for OCCEM.& quot; International Journal of to the Macro Software Sizing and Estimating Problem," Advanced Research in IT and Engineering 4.4 (2015): IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 1978, pp. 1-10. 345-361. [26] A Murali, K Hari Kishore, D Venkat Reddy [14] G. Karner, "Resource Estimation for Objectory "Integrating FPGAs with Trigger Circuitry Core Projects," Objective Systems, 1993. System Insertions for Observability in Debugging [15] D. D. Galorath and M. W. Evans, Software Process” Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Sizing, Estimation, and Risk Management, Boston, ISSN No: 1816-949X, Vol No.11, Issue No.12, page: MA, USA: Auerbach Publications, 2006. 2643-2650, December 2016. [16] R. T. Hughes, "Expert judgement as an estimating method," Information and Software Technology, 1996, pp. 67-75.

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