An Inquiry into the Cost of Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS)
Abstract
The increasing cost of software maintenance is taking a larger share of the military budget each year. As new weapon systems are acquired, these support costs must be accurately estimated and budgeted for in the total cost of acquisition. In particular, the accurate tracking of Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) costs is critical to the overall estimation process, yet it is one of the most difficult areas to document. This study had three objectives achieve to be considered successful: (1) Determine why PDSS is so costly and difficult to estimate. (2) Determine what factors make PDSS costs fluctuate. (3) Develop possible changes to the PDSS tracking system to improve availability of information. The conclusions that were reached by this thesis indicate that the redesign of the AFLC Form 75 is a partial solution to the software support tracking system. The use of the Form 75 as a funding document would appear to be a necessary step in the process toward a more complete cost estimating system.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA215256
Entities
People
- Mark A. Collette
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology