DATA ELEMENTS FOR A COST REPORTING SYSTEM FOR COMPUTER PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Abstract : The report contains recommendations for specific items of cost and technical data to be collected from computer program development projects. Forms are provided to facilitate (1) recording of cost and technical data through the computer program development cycle, including the tracking of estimated and actual values, and (2) the creation of a skeletal history of resource expenditure patterns. Advantages are described, including the accumulation of comparable data from different types of computer programming jobs performed in different management environments, and the construction of a data bank for use in the development of standards for planning, controlling, and evaluating computer programming activities. The reporting system is intended for use mainly by System Program Offices (SPOs) of the Air Force Systems Command. For this reason, the organization of the reporting system, the classification of costs, and the steps in the development process have been designed for compatibility with certain of the budgetary and management systems that do or are expected the SPOs. Specifically, these are: (1) the Program Budget, (2) Cost Information Reports (CIR), and (3) System Program Management Procedures, as described in the AFSCM 375 series. The recommended items of cost and technical data are intended to aid both cost management and cost analysis. A subset of data items that is oriented only toward cost management is also provided.