A Framework for Scope, Cost and Effort Estimation for Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Projects

Determining the scope, size, cost and effort of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) project is important to managing the risk of cost blowout happening during the project, building the business case and securing the funding for the project. Little work has been published on examining the various aspects of SOA projects and in having a systematic approach to determine the scope, size, cost and effort for such projects. This paper examines in detail various types of SOA projects and proposes the SMAT-AUS framework for capturing and using details about various aspects of SOA projects to determine the scope and estimate cost and effort. We describe the framework in detail and show the various dimensions of the framework that will impact on the scope, cost and effort including the technical and social/cultural/ organizational aspects, as well as the maturity of the organization in terms of its experience in undertaking SOA projects. We also give details of a case study using the framework.