Determining and Ranking Effective Parameters on Cost of Projects in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Introduction: The ever-growing technology is unquestionably indispensable in today’s world. 
Software industry has had a quite outstanding progress in recent years. The life cycle of software 
consists of production and maintenance. This study aimed to determine the effective factors on 
costs of producing a health information system (HIS) software. 
Methods: This applied survey used descriptive analysis to evaluate 15 HISs in Isfahan University 
of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, during 2009. Due to the low number of available systems, all 
HISs were studied through a census method. A researcher developed checklist with confirmed 
validity and reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.877) was used to collect data. Using frequency 
percentage, the most and least important factors in experts’ opinions were determined. All factors 
were ranked by Freidman test. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS. 
Results: We found 29 factors to be effective on production costs. The factors were classified into 
5 groups in each of which the most important factor was determined. 
Conclusion: In order to manage a software project and to obtain desirable results, a manager
needs to identify factors effective on costs and how they can influence the project.