Software development cost estimation using analogy : A review

Software project managers require reliable methods for estimating software project costs, and it is especially important at the early stage of software cycle. Analogy for software cost estimation has been considered as a suitable alternative to regression-based estimation method, and empirical studies have shown that it can be used successfully in many circumstances. It is important for project managers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each useful software cost estimation method, more importantly when to use these methods and at which stage of the software development. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the background and the underlying theory of analogy for software cost estimation, published in major software engineering journals and conferences over the past 15 years. Investigation on the dataset quality evaluation and its relevance to the target problem for analogy are further discussed, the result allows researchers and project managers to familiarize the underlying nature of the analogy-based approach. © 2009 Crown Copyright.