What This Document Is
This is a practical exercise, part of a graduate-level course on Personal Project Management Processes (PPMP), specifically building upon prior work in Personal Software Process (PSP). It centers around applying and extending software sizing techniques using spreadsheet-based tools. The exercise focuses on transitioning from traditional Line of Code (LOC) counting to a more object-oriented approach, estimating the effort involved in adapting existing counters. It’s designed to be a hands-on application of theoretical concepts related to software estimation and project planning.
Why This Document Matters
Students enrolled in advanced software engineering or project management courses will find this particularly valuable. It’s ideal for those seeking to refine their skills in software sizing, effort estimation, and understanding the implications of different coding paradigms (procedural vs. object-oriented) on project planning. Professionals involved in software development, particularly those responsible for project costing or resource allocation, can also benefit from the principles explored within. This exercise is most useful when you're actively working on a software project and need to accurately predict its size and complexity.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This material is a focused exercise and doesn’t provide a comprehensive introduction to all software estimation techniques. It assumes a foundational understanding of PSP principles and LOC counting. The exercise is specifically geared towards adapting an existing LOC counter, and doesn’t cover building one from scratch. It also focuses on a specific set of proxy types and size ranges, which may need to be adjusted based on the programming language and development environment used in a real-world project.
What This Document Provides
* Detailed assignment instructions and context within the broader PPMP framework.
* References to related concepts and tables from associated course materials.
* A walkthrough of the LOC counting process and its limitations.
* Templates for size estimation, including considerations for object-oriented programming.
* Guidance on classifying program components (e.g., I/O, Data) and assigning relative sizes.
* Size ranges for different proxy types to aid in estimation.
* A framework for tracking base additions and new object estimations.
* Graphical representations to visualize estimation data.
