ProjectCodeMeter
Steps for Sizing Future Project for Cost Prediction or Price Quote
This
process enables predicting the time and cost it will take to develop a
software, by using a feature analogous to the project you wish to
create. The closer the functionality of the project you select, the
more accurate the results will be. This analogy based cost estimation model is based
on the premise that it requires less expertise and experience to
select a project with similar functionality, than to accurately answer
numerous questions rating project attributes (cost drivers), as in traditional cost
estimation models such as COCOMO, and COSYSMO.
In
producing a price quote for implementing a future project, the desired
cost estimation is the cost of that implementation by an average
programmer, as this is the closest estimation to the price quote
your competitors are offering.
Step by step instructions:
1.
Select a software project with similar functionality to the future
project you plan on developing. Usually an older project of yours, or
a downloaded Open Source project from one of the open source repository websites such as SourceForge (www.sf.net) or Google Code (code.google.com)
2. Make
sure you don't have any open ProjectCodeMeter report files in your
spreadsheet or browser, as these files will be updated
3. Put the project source code in a folder on your local disk (excluding
any auto generated files, for cost prediction exclude files which
functionality is covered by code library you already have)
4. Select this folder into the Project Folder textbox
5. Select the Settings
describing the project (make sure not to select "Differential comparison"). Note that for producing a price quote it
is recommended to select the best Debugging Tools type available for that platform, rather than the ones you have, since your competitor
probably uses these and therefore can afford a lower price quote.
6. Click "Analyze", when the process finishes the results will be at the bottom right summary screen