Defining CAIV "trade space" by utilizing a NAFCOM meta-model

The tenet of Cost as an Independent Variable (CAIV) is to identify Key Performance Parameters (KPPs), to establish thresholds and optimal levels for each KPP, and to evaluate alternatives based on their performance for in each KPP. Methodologies to conduct these evaluations have been proposed, however a preferred approach has not emerged. Of particular concern is how to include cost-estimating models into CAIV studies. This paper presents a meta-model derived from 2 ^th order regression of data from NASA/U.S. Air Force's NAFCOM cost database, the Analytic Hierarchy Process, and non-linear optimization to show how a CAIV "Trade Space" can be developed from cost estimating spreadsheets, and databases.