What is typically not a focus area when estimating the costs of software systems?

When estimating the costs of software systems, project timeline is generally not a primary focus area in comparison to other factors. While the timeline is certainly important for project management and setting expectations, the cost estimation process primarily revolves around understanding the key elements that directly influence the resources needed and the complexity of the project.

Factors such as actor weight adjustments, which consider the roles and interactions of users in the system, are essential for estimating functionality and, consequently, cost. The technical complexity factor evaluates how challenging the technical elements of the project are, and the environmental complexity factor looks at the various external influences that could impact the development process.

Given this context, the project timeline, though critical for overall planning and execution, is less about direct cost estimation and more about scheduling and resource allocation after a cost estimation has been performed.