AN EMPIRICAL-ANALYSIS OF SOFTWARE EFFORT ESTIMATE ALTERATIONS

This research studies the effect of descriptive estimate alterations o n the accuracy of the resulting estimate. The two major reasons for es timate alterations studied here are the project manager's experience a nd time constraints. Estimate alterations done for these two reasons a nd their effect on accuracy is also examined. The confidence of the pr oject manager in the estimation model and its effect on the accuracy o f the resulting estimate is also studied. The extent of estimate alter ations, estimate alterations made for these two reasons, and the proje ct manager's confidence significantly affect the accuracy of the resul ting final estimate. Finally, the reasons reported by managers to expl ain the percentage of relative error in software effort estimation are documented.