Cost Estimation Techniques for Web Projects

Having realistic estimates of effort at an early stage in a Web project's life is vital to the successful management of resources. The principles of the prediction process are identifying the influencing factors, gathering past project data, generating an effort prediction model, and assessing the effectiveness of such prediction model.

Cost Estimation Techniques for Web Projects provides a step-by-step methodology to improving cost estimation practices for Web projects. Utilizing such techniques as stepwise regression modeling, case-base reasoning, classification and regression trees, and expert opinion, this book is a powerful tool for scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the areas of Web development, Web engineering, project management, and software engineering.

About the Author

Dr. Emilia Mendes is a senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), where she leads the WETA (Web Engineering, Technology and Applications) research group. She is the principal investigator in the Tukutuku research project, aimed at developing and comparing Web effort models using industrial Web project data, and benchmarking productivity within and across Web companies. She has active research interests in the areas of Web engineering, empirical software engineering, hypermedia, and computer science education. In particular, she focuses on Web quality and metrics; measurement, effort prediction, and productivity benchmarking for Web applications; object-oriented metrics and measurement; software and Web engineering education; evidence-based research; systematic literature reviews; and case-based reasoning, all areas in which she has published widely. Dr. Mendes has been on the program committee of more than 70 conferences and workshops, and on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology, the Journal of Web Engineering, and the Journal of Software Measurement. She has collaborated with Web companies in New Zealand and overseas on Web effort estimation and usability measurement. Dr. Mendes worked in the software industry for 10 years before obtaining her PhD in computer science from the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) and moving to Auckland. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Software Measurement Associations.