Lessons Learned from Building an Effort Estimation Model for Software Projects

This paper discusses the lessons learned from building a model for effortestimation. This model focuses on minimizing effort variance by enhancing theadjustments made to the functional sizing techniques. A special focus wasmade on the adjustment factors which reflect the application’s complexity andthe actual environment in which this application will be implemented. Weintroduced the idea of grouping the adjustment factors to simplify the processof adjustment and to ensure more consistency in the adjustments. We havealso studied, in depth, how the quality of requirements impact effortestimation. We introduced the quality of requirements as an adjustment factorin our proposed model. Our study concentrates on Egyptian companies withan objective to enhance effort estimation in these companies.We have learned a number of lessons that are discussed in the paper. Fromthese learned lessons, we derive a group of recommendations to otherresearchers aiming at building similar estimation models.