Application Of Re-Estimation In Re-Planning Of Software Product Releases

Context: Re-planning of product releases is a very dynamic endeavor and new research methods or improvements of existing methods are still required. This paper explores the role of re-estimation in the re-planning process of product releases.Objective: The purpose of this study is to analyze effects of defect and effort re-estimation in the process of release re-planning. In particular, two questions are answered: Question 1: In the absence of re-estimation, does conducting re-planning have any advantages over not conducting re-planning? Question 2: In the case of re-planning, does conducting re-estimation have any advantages over not conducting re-estimation?Method: The proposed method H2W-Pred extends the existing H2W re-planning method by accommodating dynamic updates on defect and effort estimates whenever re-planning takes place. Based on the updates, effort for development of new functionality needs to be re-adjusted and balanced against the additional effort necessary to ensure quality early. The proposed approach is illustrated by case examples with simulated data.Results: The simulation results show that conducting re-planning yields better release value in terms of functionality than not conducting re-planning. Furthermore, performing re-estimation when doing re-planning generates a portfolio of solutions that help balance trade-offs between several aspects of release value, e.g., between functionality and quality.Conclusion: If the development of a product release requires balancing between potentially conflictive aspects, such as quality vs. functionality, then re-estimation in the re-planning process is beneficial.