Cost-Effective Cocomo Model: How to Use the Cocomo Model to Plan Your Project

One of the most difficult aspects of programming is understanding the time and cost to finish projects. There are many factors at play, but the Cocomo model takes these factors into account to create an accurate project effort measurement.It stands for Constructive Cost Model and Barry Boehm developed it in 1970 using 63 projects for testing. There are three different aspects of the model depending on the type of project in development. Each one gets more involved and takes more variables into account to create the most accurate result.We’ll show you how the Cocomo model works and how you can use it.

The Cocomo Model Basics

At its heart, the Cocomo model has two main parameters, effort, and schedule. Effort is how much labor it takes to finish a project measured in person-month units. Schedule is the amount of time needed to complete the project given the amount of effort put into it.The model changes based on the complexity of the project. Organic projects are ones with a well-understood problem and a team experienced in solving the problem.Embedded projects are the most complex and require high levels of creativity and experience to complete. The team size is large and well-versed in the problem even if it has never actually been solved.Semi-Detached is a middle ground between organic and embedded. The project complexity and team size is between the two and involve less known and more difficult projects that need higher levels of experience and creativity than organic projects.

Using the Cocomo Model in Software Engineering

Much of the basis for the model revolved around the concept of kilo-lines of code i.e. every thousand lines of code involved with the project. In the most basic model, the total Effort is a constant (a) multiplied by the kilo-lines of code to the exponential constant (b).The constants depend on the type of project. Organic projects have an (a) of 2.4 and a (b) of 1.5. Semi-detached projects have an (a) of 3 and a (b)b of 1.12. Embedded projects have an (a) of 3.6 and a (b) of 1.2.The basic model doesn’t consider many variables such as expertise and reliability, which makes it of little use in more complex software applications, but it can provide a rough estimate. If you’re doing complex software engineering, then you’ll use one of the more advanced models.

Advanced Cocomo Iterations

The Intermediate level considers numerous additional variables including product attributes such as required reliability, application database, and complexity. It takes considers the hardware attributes and personal attributes.In total, there are more than 15 driver variables accounted for from memory constraints to analyst and software engineering capabilities. These variables are used to create the Effort Adjustment Factor (EAF) For the intermediate model, you take the basic model equation and multiply it by the EAF.The detailed model is the most complex and includes everything from the first two models but add multipliers for the various aspects of the project. The detailed model has six phases: planning and requirements, system design, detailed design, module code and test, integration and test and the cost constructive model.

Stay on Time and Budget

It’s important that your programming project stay on time and within budget, which is why the Cocomo model is right for you. It’s a simple method of predicting your needs. If you want to learn more about this model or other software engineering needs, then explore our website.