Simulation Project
Introduction
Software Process Simulation Modeling: Like any simulation, Software Process Simulation (SPS) is the numerical evaluation of a mathematical model that mimics the behavior of the software development process being modeled. An SPS has the ability to model the dynamic nature of software development and handle the uncertainty and randomness inherent to it.[1].
Uses of process simulation software
The following main purposes have been proposed for SPS:[2].
Software process simulation
Software process simulation begins with identifying a question we want to answer. The question could be, for example, related to the evaluation of an alternative, incorporating a new practice in the software development process. Introducing such changes into the actual development process will be costly and if the consequences of the change are not positive, the implications can be dire for the organization. Therefore, through the use of simulation we attempt to obtain an initial assessment of such model changes rather than an active development project. Based on this problem description, an appropriate scope of the process is chosen. A simulation approach is chosen to model the development process. Such a model is then calibrated using empirical data and then used to conduct simulation-based research. A detailed description of each step in general can be found in the work of Balci,[5] and, in particular, for software process simulation, an overview can be found in Ali et al.[6].
Key areas
Software process simulation has been an active research area for many decades, some of the key venues include the International Conference on Software Processes and Systems[9] and its predecessor workshop on Software Process Simulation Modeling (ProSim) from 1998-2004.[10].