Return on Software: Maximizing the Return on Your Software Investment

Make Assumptions Explicit

It's almost impossible to make an estimate without making one or more significant assumptions, and those assumptions can have a noticeable effect on the final estimate. All too often, those assumptions aren't made explicit so others who review the estimate or use it to make important decisions aren't aware of the underlying assumptions. Whenever possible, you should make your assumptions explicit and tie them to the estimate itself. It's okay to say, for example, the following:

I estimate that the Framus project will cost between $0.8 and $1 million and take between 7 and 10 months.

However, it would be much better for you to say this:

I estimate that the Framus project will cost between $0.8 and $1 million and take ...