Simulating software development processes

One of the main factors affecting any product development schedule is rework. In the consumer product market, the risk of rework is often measured against the need to get to market quickly. This frequently happens in the software market as well; products are released with known bugs and then upgraded after user testing. Therefore, software development organizations may choose to limit the iterations of defect correction to meet schedules or control costs. The decision to release software after a certain point is a business decision, and there is little written about business decisions in any software-related literature, including the SEI's Capability Maturity Model. A quick review of software project management literature suggests that rework is implicit in software estimating techniques, but is not explicit. The amount of rework and the manner in which it is treated are very important factors in determining software schedules and cost.