Some experimental estimators for developmental and delivered errors in software development projects

Experimental estimators are presented relating the expected number of software problem reports (B) in a software development project to the overall reported professional effort (E) in “man months” the number of subprograms (n) the overall count of thousands of coded source statements of software(S). [equation] These estimators are shown to be consistent with data obtained from the Air Force's Rome Air Development Center, the Naval Research Laboratory, and Japan's Fujitsu Corporation. Although the results are promising, more data is needed to support the validity of these estimators.