Project productivity is a key factor for producing effort estimates from Use Case Points (UCP), especially when the historical dataset is absent. The first versions of UCP effort estimation models used a fixed number or very limited numbers of productivity ratios for all new projects. These approaches have not been well examined over a large number of projects so the validity of these studies w...

Software project effort estimation is defined as one of the most difficult tasks in software engineering, embodying extensive uncertainty and vagueness in estimation parameters. In order to deal with this uncertainty, it has been suggested that the fuzzy approach can be employed in the effort estimation process. This work in progress paper is a proof of the concept that the estimation approach ...

We consider a problem faced by train companies: How can trains be assigned to satisfy scheduled routes in a cost efficient way? Currently, many railway companies create solutions by hand, a timeconsuming task which is too slow for interaction with the schedule creators. Further, it is difficult to measure how efficient the manual solutions are. We consider several variants of the problem. For s...

Most software project estimation and measurement (PEM) processes have been designed for providers. Customers need to leverage PEM to better direct software sourcing. A design theory for software project-scoping has been developed that supports the PEM processes of both customers and providers. This paper probes the validity of the theory from providers’ and customers’ viewpoints through three l...

Software project effort estimation is frequently seen as complex and expensive for individual software engineers. In Project LEAP, we are investigating tools and methods to support low-cost, empirically-based software developer improvement. In a recent case study, we investigated effort estimation and the relative accuracy of a dozen different analytic estimation procedures. Student programmers...

Today, in large projects such as constructing oil, gas and petrochemical refineries, it is inevitable to use modern management methods and project timing. On the other hand, in classic scheduling case, the focus is on balance between time and cost of carrying out projects, which in such a situation, one of possible solutions to shorten time of implementing project is to accelerate activities. T...

This paper presents an empirical study of effort estimation. In particular, the study is focused on improvements in effort estimations as more information becomes available. For example, after the requirements phase, the requirements specification is available and the question is whether the knowledge regarding the number of requirements helps in improving the effort estimation of the project. ...