Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art

Chapter 16. Flow of Software Estimates on a Well-Estimated Project

Applicability of Techniques in This Chapter

	Changing to More Accurate Estimation Techniques Later in the Project	Estimate Refinement Based on Project-Specific Data
What’s estimated	Size, Effort, Schedule, Features	Size, Effort, Schedule, Features
Size of project	- M L	S M L
Development stage	Early–Late	Early–Late
Iterative or sequential	Sequential	Both
Accuracy possible	High	High

On poorly estimated projects, estimation focuses on directly estimating cost, effort, and schedule, with little or no focus on estimating the size of the software that will be built. Projects are reestimated many times, but usually in response to schedule slippages late in the project.

In a well-estimated project, ...