ABSTRACT Software development has always been characterized by some metrics. One of the greatest challenges for software developers lies in predicting the development effort for a software system which is based on developer abilities, size, complexity and other metrics. Several algorithmic cost estimation models such as Boehm’s COCOMO, Albrecht’s’ Function Point Analysis, Putnam’s SLIM, ESTIMACS etc. are available but every model has its own pros and cons in estimating development cost and effort. Most common reason being project data which is available in the initial stages of project is often incomplete, inconsistent, uncertain and unclear. In this paper, Bayesian probabilistic model has been explored to overcome the problems of uncertainty and imprecision resulting in improved process of software development effort estimation. This paper considers a software estimation approach using six key cost drivers in COCOMO II model. The selected cost drivers are the inputs to systems. The concept of Fuzzy Bayesian Belief Network (FBBN) has been introduced to improve the accuracy of the estimation. Results shows that the value of MMRE (Mean of Magnitude of Relative Error) and PRED obtained by means of FBBN is much better as compared to the MMRE and PRED of Fuzzy COCOMO II models. The validation of results was carried out on NASA-93 dem COCOMO II dataset.
