Technical Paper
A Meta-Model for Systems Development Through Life Cycle Phases: Coupling the Isoperformance Methodology with Utility Analysis
1990-09-01
901947
Systems development may proceed in two general ways. The more familiar is to fix costs and maximize effectiveness. An alternative is to fix effectiveness and minimize the “costs” in health, safety, manpower, personnel, and training (MPT), and equipment. Isoperformance methodology follows the latter approach and leads naturally to trade-offs among the cost factors. Isoperformance analyses are intended to be implemented as expert systems to aid in decision making through interactive computer programs for use by individual managers. An isoperformance approach does not attempt to replace or eliminate the user as a source of information, but, through expert systems technology, limits input to a small number of estimates. In making these estimates, the user has access to a library of relevant information, and his or her estimates are checked for logical consistency with fact.