Measuring Complexity at the Requirements Stage: Spectral Metrics as Development Effort Predictors

Researchers have developed a method to predict the effort required for a software project by analyzing the complexity of its written requirements. Using natural language processing, they convert requirements into structural networks. In experiments, their spectral analysis of these networks predicted integration effort with over 95% accuracy. This means project managers could identify overly complex, high-risk projects at the very first stage of development, potentially saving significant time and money.