Integrating Software Engineering and Costing Aspects within Project Management Tools

Abstract

Currently, there is no integration among CASE tools (computer aided software engineering, also named AMD tools, analysis modeling and design), costing tools, and project management (PM) tools. Not only are there no integrated tools, but there is also no conceptual integration among software engineering (SE) aspects and accounting-costing aspects of software projects within PM tools. PM tools, as well as costing tools are used not only for tracking and controlling an ongoing software project, but also at the very beginning stages of the project, in which critical estimations concerning budget and time frame are made. In order to have a firm, robust, and accurate planning, project planning should be based directly upon raw SE components-objects, that is, upon analysis and design components-objects.