Costing COTS Integration

This session will provide a roadmap for doing an estimate for COTS-intensive systems development. It will discuss the key lessons learned about COTS development pitfalls and translate them into estimation steps and checklists. The following topics will be discussed: frequently overlooked and underestimated tasks, the components of a complete estimate, estimating size and cost drivers, using parametric modeling for estimation, and risk analysis. An example of the calibration of a parametric model using historical data from a Northrop Grumman Mission Systems COTS-intensive development will be presented, along with sample worksheets for compiling an estimate.