A project is planned for an enterprise accounting system with an estimated…

2026

A project is planned for an enterprise accounting system with an estimated size 60 KLOC. The organization applies Basic COCOMO (Semi-Detached Mode with parameters: )

Effort = 3.0 . (KLOC)1.0

Development time = 2.5 . (Effort)1/2

Average cost per person-month (pm) = $10,000

A contingency margin of 10% effort is mandatory

The client demands a detailed schedule if staff is capped at 15 engineers.

What is the implied average staffing level?

  1. 8 Engineers

  2. 5 Engineers

  3. 10 Engineers

  4. 12 Engineers

  1. A.

    1

  2. B.

    2

  3. C.

    3

  4. D.

    4

Attempted by 54 students.

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Correct answer: B

Step-by-Step Solution

First, calculate the total effort required using the Basic COCOMO model for Semi-Detached mode.

Given:

  • Size (KLOC) = 60

  • Effort Multiplier (EM) = 3.0

Formula: Effort = EM × (Size)^1.0

Calculation: Effort = 3.0 × 60 = 180 person-months.

Next, apply the mandatory contingency margin of 10% to the effort.

Total Effort with Contingency = 180 × 1.10 = 198 person-months.

Now, calculate the development time using the given formula.

Formula: Development Time = 2.5 × (Effort)^0.5

Calculation: Development Time = 2.5 × √198 ≈ 2.5 × 14.07 ≈ 35.18 months.

Finally, determine the implied average staffing level.

Formula: Staffing Level = Total Effort / Development Time

Calculation: Staffing Level = 198 / 35.18 ≈ 5.63 engineers.

Since the staff is capped at 15 engineers, the implied average staffing level is approximately 5.63. Among the given options, 5 engineers is the closest integer value representing the implied average staffing level.

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