Data Mining Methods and Cost Estimation Models: Why is it So Hard to Infuse New Ideas?

Infusing new technologies and methods is hard and can often be described as "banging ones head on a brick wall". The is especially true when trying to get project managers, systems, engineers and cost analysts to add a radically new tool to their tool box. In this paper we suggest that the underlying causes are rooted in the fact that the different players have fundamental differences in mental models, vocabulary and objectives. We based this work on lessons learned from ten years of working on the infusion of software costing models into NASA. The good news is that, lately, a crack has begun to appear in what was previously a brick wall.