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Software Estimation - Building Your Project
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Software estimation is process that takes all the disparate pieces of data, pours them all into a pot, and then predicts the future. Learn more about this topic on the blog.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'software estimation'
Searching For A Layman’s Explanation of Parametric Modeling
For a few years, CBS has been running a television show called Numb3rs. The premise is the standard take off on the brothers-solving-mysteries cliché that has been around since at least the Hardy Boys. Granted, Numbers has a couple of differences â€...
Software Estimation and Controlled Risk
I’ve written before on the predictive nature of estimation software. Using software estimation products as project management software can help show you aspects of your project which you haven’t accounted for, particularly things like ris...
A Tale of Two Mirrors
This is a blog post by none-other than Dan Galorath, the Chief Architect for the SEER-SEM software. He talks about the difference between the types of project management software and sheds some light on not only the various differences that exist, bu...
Applying Earned Value Management to Software Intensive Programs
By Robert P Hunt (Galorath Incorporated), Paul J. Solomon (Performance-Based Earned Value), and Dan Galorath (Galorath Incorporated) Often, traditional earned value approaches do not deal sufficiently with the idiosyncrasies of software intensive p...
Packaged Applications – The Hidden Costs of Snake-Oil
Packaged Applications - The Hidden Costs of Snake-Oil By David DeWitt Most of us remember the dubious “doctor” in Huckleberry Finn who proclaims to have the cure for any malady. From the back of the crowd his shill would loudly proclaim...
Top 5 Most Cruel and Unusual Questions Plugged into a Software Estimation Program
There are two types of Project Managers out there, those who get estimation software, and those who think it’s a magical box which turns hard working developers into robots. Here’s a list of the most cruel and unusual questions posed by t...
Welcome to the Baseline
So, you’ve checked over all of your initial data, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. You’ve double checked with the client and you know exactly what they think that they want. And you’ve plugged all of that carefully measured d...
Tying It All Together
Hey, welcome to 2009! It’s taken a while, but we’re finally at the point where we can go ahead and make our first estimate. But first, a recap of the first four steps in software estimation process. Understanding the problem – not just...
A Picture is Emerging
Keeping up with the idea that we’re doing software estimating to create a software package, let’s go ahead and give a long look at our intended project. The first question you’re going to have to ask yourself is how big is this proj...
On Data Collection and the Moon
There’s a popular cliché amongst rocket scientists “a launch that is off by one degree will miss the moon by miles.” Okay, so maybe the authenticity of that phrase is leaves a lot to be desired, but the spirit of the statement – ...
Part 2 - The How
If you recall, last week I talked about the first step that anyone doing anything with software estimation needs to do – that is to establish the ‘what’ and the ‘why’. And I said that these two aspects are your cornerstone, ...
How to Best Use Software Estimation – Part 1
There’s a running gag between myself and a few of my friends and associates – if possible, how much information would you cede over to software estimation? Theoretically, software that was smart enough, and fed enough information could serve ...
So, who uses this stuff?
By know you should have a pretty good idea on what project software estimation is and how it works, but I bet you’re wondering just who uses software estimation. The blanket term, software estimation, is often applied to software which is so powerf...
Next qestion, how does it work?
Here lies the difficult question. How does software estimation actually work? Conceptually speaking its simple, in practice however, that’s where things become more difficult. I’m sure some of you have a book somewhere by a fellow named Steve McC...
Yes, but what IS it?
For some, the cocktail question is easy. Lawyers only need to specify their field. Doctors, construction workers, and teachers can all clearly explain exactly what they do in a just a few words, saving the listener from having their eyes glaze over i...
Software Sizing, Software and Risk Management Book
Software Sizing, Software and Risk Management Software Sizing, Estimation, and Risk Management is a practical, hands-on discussion of the software estimation, planning and control process. It addresses critical factors that affect estimates, methods ...
