Design of Traditional/Hybrid Software Project Tracking Technique: State Space Approach MANOJ KUMAR TYAGI 1 , SRINIVASAN M. 2 , L.S.S. REDDY 3 1 Electronics and Computer Engineering 1,3 K. L. University Vaddeswaram, Guntur, 522502 A.P. INDIA 1 manojkumar@kluniversity.in , 3 drlssreddy@kluniversity.in 2 Electronics and Communication Engineering Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology Meerut, 250005 U.P. INDIA 2 msrinivasan77@yahoo.com Abstract: - Software projects are required to be tracked during their execution for controlling them. According to state space approach, the tracking problem leads us to have a project state transition model and project status model. A key factor in modeling software projects is to model the project with uncertainty involved in the parameters related to project state transition model and project status model. Traditional/Hybrid software project tracking technique is formulated, modeled with state space approach in plan-space and execution-space, and simulated using discrete event simulation. The uncertainty considered here is ontological that modeled as a normal distribution using an approximation method. The state space model consists of project-state transition equation and project-measurement equation, in plan-space, and it is formulated with Monte Carlo method in execution-space. The developed state space model is used to track status of the traditional/hybrid project. The project is executed with an iterative and incremental development process. With Monte Carlo simulation runs, simulation result shows the variation in ontological uncertainty iteration-wise, both individually and cumulatively, and the effect of uncertainty on project status, by showing project status in execution-space and plan-space. Besides, the project completion somewhere during the last iteration is shown with simulation. Key-Words: - Ontological Uncertainty, Normal Distribution function, State-Space Model, Traditional Project, Hybrid Project, Monte Carlo Simulation, Discrete Event Simulation, Execution-Space, Plan-Space. 1 Introduction How software projects are modeled for tracking by considering state-space view? This question is not taken into consideration during software project tracking. According to state-space view, software projects start with initial state, traverse through intermediary states, and move to final state. These have two views: plan-space view and execution-space view. Generally, the execution-space view differs with plan-space view; as software projects, consisting of both the technical and managerial activities, involve unknown factors including services, cost, schedule, size, productivity , lack of information, ambiguity, characteristics of project parties, tradeoffs between trust and control mechanisms, and varying agendas in different stages of the project life cycle ([1], [2]). As a general rule, uncertainty arises in any activity involving unknown factors, which affects the activity [3, p. 2- 4]. Methods for software development, a set of practices for software development, are based on plan-based, agile, or hybrid software development philosophy ([4], [5]). Both agile and plan-driven philosophies have a home ground area of project characteristics in which each clearly works best, and where the other will have difficulties [6]. Hybrid approaches that combine both philosophies are feasible and necessary for projects that combine a mix of agile and plan-driven home ground characteristics ([6], [7]). In this paper, hybrid approach is derived with following requirements volatility phenomena partially, i.e., allowing the changes to the already specified requirements which were documented before starting the project execution; but not allowing the new requirements requested by customers during execution; while WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on INFORMATION SCIENCE and APPLICATIONS Manoj Kumar Tyagi, Srinivasan M., L. S. S. Reddy E-ISSN: 2224-3402 345 Issue 11, Volume 10, November 2013