A ß-distributed stochastic petri net model for software project time/cost management
Abstract This article proposes a new software project time and cost management model using a β-distributed stochastic petri net (BSPN), which is an integrated model of PERT and Petri nets. We adapt the β-distributed transition from program evaluation and review technique (PERT) for modeling uncertainty of time and cost of a software project. A source BSPN of a software project is constructed via the top-down modeling method or transformation method. The source BSPN can be transformed into a reduced BSPN by use of reduction rules. Structural properties of the project are analyzed from the BSPN structure. Behavioral characteristics of the project, such as time and cost, are analyzed via a chronological reachability graph (CRG) of a BSPN. The CRG is a new kind of timed reachability graph. The BSPN model is powerful enough to cope with the uncertainty and concurrency problems of large software project management.