Techn@gerial

Estimation is an essential part of any project, but software development projects are notoriously difficult to estimate accurately, especially if you’re not experienced in understanding what is required to deliver the end product. Often a project manager, resource manager or executive will go to the “horse’s mouth” (lead developer, pronounced expert or architect) to get numbers to help build a plan. It’s not difficult to understand why, developers are experts in software development and the intrinsic technical details of what’s needed to develop software. They are also often domain experts in the field they work in. But, they are usually not naturally good estimators and they only hold some of the knowledge you will need. In my experience, using only the “horse’s mouth” approach is as useful as going to the other end of the horse, you’re going to end up with a similar output!

I am not saying that software developers and architects are not capable of estimating, certainly they will be, but it is “what” they are estimating that is easy to misunderstand. To ensure clarity and adequate coverage of a particular development project, it is imperative that a structured approach is taken when soliciting for estimates. The following article will describe a simple methodology and point to simple tools to assist in devising a reasonable estimate that should be suitable to cover any software development project.

Continue Reading » Estimating software development projects.

Tweet This Post