What were the non-technical sources of complexity that would drive cost

2-3 pages total, single spaced 12 pt font

Part A. Cost Estimation in the News

Find a news article, magazine, or other periodical that features a project that was extremely complex. This may be from any domain such as construction, information technology, aerospace, etc. Examples include the cost overrun associated with the Big Dig (http://www.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/bechtel/) or the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Provide the source of your article and answer the following discussion questions:

1. Who      were the main stakeholders in the project?
2. What      were the technical sources of complexity that would drive cost?
3. What      were the non-technical (i.e., people, processes, politics) sources of complexity      that would drive cost?
4. How      could completion progress be measured on this project?
5. Identify      any unique aspects of this project.

Part B. The Constructive Cost Model

Read chapters 1 and 2 of the COCOMO book and answer the following questions.

1. Of the      six COCOMO II model objectives in Chapter 1, identify which ones you      believe are the most important to:
   1. Model       users (i.e., an engineer at an aerospace company)
   2. Model       developers (i.e., commercial tool vendor such as IBM)
   3. Model       evaluators (i.e., academic researcher)
2. Figure      1.2 is also referred to as the “cone of uncertainty”. Comment on the shape of the curves,      specifically:
   1. whether       they should truly be symmetrical
   2. whether       they should converge at the point of software acceptance
   3. whether       programs are more frequently overestimated or underestimated
3. Choose      one COCOMO II cost driver from Chapter 2 and discuss your personal experience with this phenomenon. Did you experience a cost/effort increase as a result or a decrease?