Proposed Simulation Model for Software Development Cycle in Sudanese Companies

Abstract

Software engineering provide set of methods, methodologies and practices that’s used for the process of building and developing the information systems. Sudanese software companies follow many of these methodologies to develop and deliver software projects, but they face many challenges represented in the delay of delivering projects on time and the lack of method that predict the optimal number of team members accurately. This research aims to develop simulation model to assist the project’s managers in assigning the optimal team number for each development phase in order to improve the resource utilization and reduce the delay of delivery time. A simulation model hasbeen implemented using Simphony.Net simulator and then evaluated using input data from fifteen Sudanese software companies. The results of the first experiment showed the assigned team size was not enough to deliver all arrived projects on time, and by increasing the team size in the critical phases that required more time, the resources utilization improved and projects were delivered on time. The research recommends other software development methodologies to be simulated in order to select the best among them that could be applied in the Sudanese companies. Other factors that affect the delivery of projects such as complexity of requirements, developers’ experience and customers’ involvement in the development process should also be considered. It is also recommended to develop an integrated model that could be used to simulate project ofdifferent sizes in a single model.