Take the guesswork out of software project estimation: Investigate size, effort, and scheduling of projects

Heads of large IT organizations continue to be tormented by one of the most difficult facets of managing IT business: controlling their budgets. Estimates that cover costs towards discretionary and non-discretionary expenses, including operational and infrastructure costs, have always been a source of dispute and ambiguity. Unlike hard facts and figures available in the manufacturing industry, there are many gray areas in the software industry that need to be sorted out.

Practical Software Estimation: Function Point Methods for Insourced and Outsourced Projects attempts to address the gray areas in the software project execution process. Starting from a very basic explanation of the ingredients of a typical estimation activity, the book proceeds to dismantle some of the common misconceptions about software estimation. Estimators, managers, and programmers in particular will benefit from this sample chapter, which examines the process of converting software size to effort and schedule. Analyze elements of the software project execution environment, including productivity of the team, resource loading, and use of tools as important input to derive project effort and schedule.

Title: Practical Software Estimation: Function Point Methods for Insourced and Outsourced Projects
ISBN: 0-321-43910-4
Published: February 2007
Author: M. A. Parthasarathy
Chapter: Chapter 7: Size, Effort, and Scheduling of Projects
Published by Addison Wesley Professional