ESTEX - A software development effort estimation system

Exact, yet simple to handle software effort estimation systems are essential to the success of organizations in today's European space and military market. This market has become very competitive, with the emphasis on fixed-price projects with very strict budget margins. Thus, it is essential to be able to forecast precisely the effort needed and thereby the cost and duration of proposed projects. Furthermore, during the project life cycle, it is necessary to track the actual effort in order to monitor and control the software development process. The ESTEX estimation experiment has as its objective to select, tailor, implement and evaluate the use of an estimation model for project cost (pre-project planning) and development progress monitoring in a software organization. The experiment results will be applicable to organizations with projects doing design to specifications, in a fixed-price framework and using a waterfall style software development process. The application area directly addressed is dedicated systems for space, defense and communications.