This issue of the Software Tech News, “New Directions in Software Estimation”, describes the migration/evolution that is occurring in software estimating in response to the continuing and emerging challenges of developing and maintaining complex software systems. The first article by Jo Ann Lane and Barry Boehm addresses the emerging interest area of estimating Software-Intensive System of Systems (SISOS) The next article by Don Scott Lucero and Christopher Miller addresses challenges associated with software estimating in the U.S. Department of Defense.
The next article by Arlene Minkiewicz addresses the issues associated with software size estimation with suggestions for using sizing methods. Dan Galorath’s Data & Analysis Center for Software (DACS) 3
article addresses current issues in software maintenance and how we may resolve them. Finally, Capers Jones addresses risk in software estimates, an area that is of great importance but not usually addressed adequately in software estimates.
While the articles in this issue do not constitute a panacea for the challenges associated with software estimating, they will provide the reader with new insights and new ideas in this area. DACS welcomes your comments on this issue or anything related to software engineering and management.
