Incremental resource estimation with real-time feedback from measurement

Abstract The quality and usability of software project estimation models can be substantially improved by integrating metrics in the software development process to provide feedback in real-time. Active metrics by be used to adjust and improve the initial estimates by including data from the early phases of software development. In this paper, a method is proposed for incrementally proceeding from a priori project estimation and modelling to measuring the project and product during development to provide real-time feedback and refinement to the initial estimation. This method enables the estimates to be incrementally developed and to use them to control and guide project execution in real-time. A hierarchical system or project decomposition can be used to implement distributed estimation models which include a constraint propagation network. These techniques are based on an extended object-oriented modelling technique for software engineering elements.