Parametric Cost and Schedule Modeling for Early Technology Development

Estimating technology development in support of investment decisions continues to be a formidable challenge in the cost community. Design, performance, or technical requirements, which drive traditional parametric models or translate analogous system costs, are often unavailable in the early life-cycle stages of basic or applied technology development. Often compounding the limited availability of information about the technology is the proprietary or protected nature of technology research and development efforts and related intellectual property. Restrictions on sharing information contribute to the lack of data, objective models, and methods that can be broadly applied in early planning stages. Scientific, technological, and financial communities are in need of forecast models that enable them to estimate new or immature technology developments more accurately. This report investigates cost and schedule modeling that leverages macro-parameters generally known or available in early technology development stages.