ESTIMATING OPTIMAL PROJECT DURATION AND COST FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF TEAM SIZE DEPENDENT PRODUCTIVITY: SYSTEM DYNAMICS PERSPECTIVE

摘要

Findings from our System Dynamics model provide useful pointers to software developmentproject managers. Communication effects among project members, resultant productivity lossesand incidental overload are incorporated into this model. Simulating a hypothetical project, wedemonstrate estimating project duration and cost under different scenarios as well as estimatingoptimal team size and optimal project duration.Dividing a project into smaller modules may be beneficial to prevent productivity losses due tocommunication overload. Likewise, starting a project with larger than required team size may bebeneficial to prevent delays rather than to add staff midway to avoid training overload.