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Overview
Often referred to as the “black art” because of its complexity and uncertainty, software estimation is not as difficult or puzzling as people think. In fact, generating accurate estimates is straightforward—once you understand the art of creating them. In his highly anticipated book, acclaimed author Steve McConnell unravels the mystery to successful software estimation—distilling academic information and real-world experience into a practical guide for working software professionals. Instead of arcane treatises and rigid modeling techniques, this guide highlights a proven set of procedures, understandable formulas, and heuristics that individuals and development teams can apply to their projects to help achieve estimation proficiency.
Discover how to:
- Estimate schedule and cost—or estimate the functionality that can be delivered within a given time frame
- Avoid common software estimation mistakes
- Learn estimation techniques for you, your team, and your organization
• Estimate specific project activities—including development, management, and defect correction - Apply estimation approaches to any type of project—small or large, agile or traditional
- Navigate the shark-infested political waters that surround project estimates
When many corporate software projects are failing, McConnell shows you what works for successful software estimation.
Synopsis
A practical guide for software developers and development teams, this book—written by an award-winning author—features effective and understandable formulas, procedures, and heuristics to help organizations improve their project cost estimates.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewThe software industry is notorious for its poor estimates. For years, Code Complete's Steve McConnell has been trying to fix that. In Software Estimation, he's brought together all he's learned through teaching thousands of software professionals and building one of the world’s leading software estimation tools. This is the definitive treatment: both formal techniques and crucial "rules of thumb."
McConnell walks through sources of error, reveals common estimating pitfalls, and shows how to improve accuracy by using several methods to refine your projections. You’ll learn how to “decompose” projects into smaller elements (for instance, modules instead of systems); and then recompose those elements into one coherent estimate.
Next, he systematically addresses the challenges of estimating project size, effort, and schedule. Last but not least, you’ll find realistic guidance on presenting estimates to management, and surviving those inevitable, dreaded negotiations. Bill Camarda, from the April 2006 Read Only