The Economic Impact of STARS-Supported Technologies

Abstract

This document is an annotated version of a briefing that was presented in December 1991 at the STARS '91 Conference, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The briefing describes a model that can be used to calculate DoD software life-cycle costs and the effects on those costs of technologies being developed or supported by the Software Technology for Adaptable, Reliable Systems (STARS) program. The model estimates and tracks the amount of software that is developed and maintained, and translates that amount into effort and cost estimates. The model has parameters for the individual and synergistic effects of advanced reuse, process, and tool technologies. Four scenarios, each reflecting different assumptions about investments in software technology and the speed at which these technologies will be adopted, are analyzed, and cost estimates are presented. Though the model and its parameters are subject to change, preliminary conclusions are: small increases in the speed of technology adoption result in large savings, the STARS program appears to be cost-effective, and achieving a decrease by a factor of two in software expenditures by the year 2000 will be difficult.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA248024

Entities

People

  • Bruce N. Angier
  • Elizabeth Bailey
  • Kathryn L. Wilson
  • Philip M. Lurie
  • Thomas P. Frazier

Organizations

  • Institute for Defense Analyses

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Cost Analysis
  • Cost Estimates
  • Cost Models
  • Costs
  • Cycles
  • Economic Analysis
  • Economic Impact
  • Investments
  • Life Cycle Costs
  • Life Cycles

Fields of Study

  • Computer science
  • Engineering

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Economics
  • Software Engineering.