COCOMO stands for the constructive cost model, a cost estimation model for software

projects based on LOC.

The COCOMO model calculates a proposed software project's time, effort, cost, and
quality. In simple words, it predicts the performance of a software project.

Types of software projects

The COCOMO model can be applied to three types of software projects:

 Organic project: An organic software project requires a small team, the problem
is well understood, and the team members are experienced in developing similar
projects.
 Semi-detached project: A semi-attached project is medium-sized, with the
development consisting of a mix of experienced and inexperienced staff, and the
major characteristics of the project lie in between organic and embedded.
 Embedded project: An embedded software project has a high level of
complexity, requiring a large-sized experienced team, and is coupled with
complex hardware.

Types of COCOMO models

The COCOMO model is divided into three types based on the accuracy quotient.Any of
the three types can be adapted according to our requirements:

 Basic model
 Intermediate model
 Detailed model

Basic model

The basic model is used for quick and rough cost calculations for the software. It
calculates the effort, time, and number of people required to use a project's kLOC (kilo
lines of code).

The formulae to calculate these entities are:

The effort is measured in person-months and time in months. The constants a, b, c, and \
space da,b,c,and d vary for each model type. The following are the constant values for
the basic model:

Project Type a b c d

Organic 2.4 1.05 2.5 0.38

Semi-detached 3.0 1.12 2.5 0.35

Embedded 3.6 1.20 2.5 0.32

Example

Suppose a project was estimated to be made in 400 kLOC. Lets calculate its effort,
time, and the number of people required while considering the project is of organic type:

Intermediate model

The intermediate model is an extension of the basic model and includes a set of cost
drivers to calculate the estimates with better accuracy. The effort factor includes the
effort adjustment factor (EAF) that is calculated with the cost drivers.

The formulae to calculate these entities are:

The effort is measured in person-months and time in months. The constants a, b, c, and \
space da,b,c,and d vary for each model type. The following are the constant values for
the basic model:
 Project Type a b c d

Organic 3.2 1.05 2.5 0.38

Semi-detached 3.0 1.12 2.5 0.35

Embedded 2.8 1.20 2.5 0.32

Cost drivers

The cost drivers and their attributes are as follows:

Product attributes

The product attributes are as follows:

 Required software reliability extent

 Size of the application database
 The complexity of the product
Product Attributes Very Low Low Nominal High Very High Extra High
RELY 0.75 0.88 1.00 1.15 1.40 ...
DATA ... 0.94 1.00 1.08 1.16 ...
CPLX 0.70 0.85 1.00 1.15 1.30 1.65

Hardware attributes

The hardware attributes are as follows:

 Run time performance constraints

 Memory constraints
 The volatility of the virtual machine environment
 Required turnabout time
Hardware Attributes Very L Low Nominal High Very High Extra High
ow
TIME ... ... 1.00 1.11 1.30 1.66
STOR ... ... 1.00 1.06 1.21 1.56
VIRT ... 0.87 1.00 1.15 1.30 ...
TURN ... 0.87 1.00 1.07 1.15 ...
Personal attributes

The personal attributes are as follows:

 Analyst capabilities
 Software engineering capabilities
  Applications experience
 Virtual machine experience
 Programming language experience
Personal attributes Very Low Low Nominal High Very High Extra High
ACAP 1.46 1.19 1.00 0.86 0.71 ...
AXEP 1.29 1.13 1.00 0.91 0.82 ...
PCAP 1.42 1.17 1.00 0.86 0.70 ...
VEXP 1.21 1.10 1.00 0.90 ... ...
LEXP 1.14 1.07 1.00 0.95 ... ...
Project attributes

The project attributes are as follows:

 Use of software tools

 Application of software engineering methods
 Required development schedule
Project Attributes Very Low Low Nominal High Very High Extra High

MODP 1.24 1.10 1.00 0.91 0.82 ...

TOOL 1.24 1.10 1.00 0.91 0.83 ...

SCED 1.23 1.08 1.00 0.04 1.10 ...

The EAF is calculated by multiplying the parameter values of different cost driver
attributes. Ideally, the value is 1.

Example

Suppose a project was estimated to be made in 400 kLOC.let's calculate its effort, time,
and the number of people required while considering the project is of organic type and
has a nominal complexity. The developer has a high virtual machine experience.

The value of the nominal complexity of a project is 1.00, and the high virtual experience
of the developer is 0.90, according to the tables mentioned above:
Detailed model

The detailed model is a combination of both the basic model and the intermediate
model. The model is decomposed into multiple modules, and the COCOMO model is
applied to them individually. This model uses various effort multipliers for each cost
driver attribute, and the cost is calculated at each stage separately.

The six stages of the detailed model are as follows:

 Planning and requirements

 System design
 Detailed design
 Module code and test
 Integration and test
 Cost constructive model

Conclusion

The COCOMO model provides a good rough estimation of the cost of the project and
the time taken to complete it. Still, it also has limitations as it ignores the factors like
customer skills and knowledge. Moreover, in real life, things may not work out according
to the model, and the project may take more time than the estimated time and affect the
project.