Dynamic Software Project Management.

The purpose of this thesis is to develop and design a dynamic software project management model that provides realistic decision support for large-scale software projects. This model is based upon the programmerimplementers estimated completion time for each project task. Where tasks are configured as a precedence network. The model is dynamic since these estimates will be collected and updated over time. The basic model is composed of the program evaluation and review technique PERT network, the estimation mechanism, and the project graph mechanism. The PERT mechanism allows the users to build the precedence network based upon project specific features. The estimation mechanism constructs time estimates based upon the users inputs of man-months or upon the users inputs to the Constructive Cost Model COCOMO model. These estimates are periodically updated and recorded using database technology using the revised estimates of the time needed to complete a given task. The project graph mechanism takes the recorded estimates using precedence estimates using network depicts tasks which are critical and sustain slippage over time. By graphing these tasks over time it is clear when a task is critical and when a task enters the 95 complete syndrome.