MND-SCEMP: an empirical study of a software cost estimation modeling process in the defense domain

The primary focus of weapon systems research and development has moved from a hardware base to a software base and the cost of software development is increasing gradually. An accurate estimation of the cost of software development is now a very important task in the defense domain. However, existing models and tools for software cost estimation are not suitable for the defense domain due to problems of accuracy. Thus, it is necessary to develop cost estimation models that are appropriate to specific domains. Furthermore, most studies of methodology development are aligned with generic methodologies that do not consider the pertinent factors to specific domains, whereas new methodologies should reflect specific domains. In this study, we apply two generic methodologies to the development of a software cost estimation model, before suggesting an integrated modeling process specifically for the national defense domain. To validate our proposed modeling process, we performed an empirical study of 113 software development projects on weapon systems in Korea. A software cost estimation model was developed by applying the proposed modeling process. The MMRE value of this model was 0.566 while the accuracy was appropriate for use. We conclude that the modeling process and software cost estimation model developed in this study is suitable for estimating resource requirements during weapon system development in South Korea’s national defense domain. This modeling process and model may facilitate more accurate resource estimation by project planners, which will lead to more successful project execution.