Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art

Chapter 7. Count, Compute, Judge

Applicability of Techniques in This Chapter

	Count	Compute
What’s estimated	Size, Features	Size, Effort, Schedule, Features
Size of project	S M L	S M L
Development stage	Early–Late	Early–Middle
Iterative or sequential	Both	Both
Accuracy possible	High	High

Suppose you’re at a reception for the world’s best software estimators. The room is packed, and you’re seated in the middle of the room at a table with three other estimators. All you can see as you scan the room are wall-to-wall estimators. Suddenly, the emcee steps up to the microphone and says, “We need to know exactly how many people are in this room so that we can order dessert. Who can give me the most accurate estimate for the number of people in the room?”

The estimators ...