An Empirical Study of the Efficacy of COCOMO II Cost Drivers in Predicting a Project’s Elaboration Profile

A variety of domains and types are represented by these projects. Over half of
them, however, are web-based databases. Clients of these projects were mostly USC neighborhood organizations (e.g. Manual Arts High School, Los Angeles Music and Art School, etc.), USC CSSE affiliates (e.g. Northrop Grumman, The Aerospace Corporation, etc.), or USC departments (e.g. Anthropology, Degree Progress, Library, etc.). Even though each project was unique, these projects had a lot in common. First and foremost, each project was completed in two semesters. Using schedule as an independent variable (SAIV) implied that requirements had to be prioritized to facilitate timely completion. Secondly, each project was done by teams of 6 – 8 students. Usually, two members of the team were responsible for independent verification and validation (IV & V) with the majority forming the development core of the team. The IV & V members were off-campus students with an average of at least five years of industry experience.

The development core consisted of on-campus students with an average
industry experience of a couple of years. Thirdly, each project was closely monitored by the teaching staff for quality and timely completion of deliverables. Furthermore, each project used industry grade processes and tools. Last but not the least, each project was a custom-built project. In other words, COTS-based projects were not considered.