Product verifiable, defensible, and achievable software estimates Based on data collected by the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group (ISBSG), Practical Software Project Estimation explains how to accurately forecast the size, cost, and schedule of software projects. Get expert advice on generating accurate estimates, minimizing risks, and planning and managing projects. Valuable appendixes provide estimation equations, delivery rate tables, and the ISBSG Repository demographics. Verify project objectives and requirements Determine, validate, and refine software functional size Produce indicative estimates using regression equations Predict effect and duration through comparison and analogy Build estimation frameworks Perform benchmarks using the ISBSG Repository Compare IFPUG, COSMIC, and FiSMA sizing methods Peter Hill is the chief executive officer and a director of the ISBSG. He has been in the information services industry for more than 40 years and has compiled and edited five books for the ISBSG.
This book introduces theoretical concepts to explain the fundamentals of the design and evaluation of software estimation models. It provides software professionals with vital information on the best software management software out there. End-of-chapter exercises Over 100 figures illustrating the concepts presented throughout the book Examples incorporated with industry data
Almost every software project begins with the utterances, “What will this cost?” and “When will this project be done?” Once those words are spoken, project stakeholders begin to wrestle with how to produce an estimate. Accurately estimating the cost or time to complete a software project is a serious problem for many software engineers, developers and project managers who struggle with costs running double original estimates, putting their careers at risk. It is reported that nearly 50% of all software projects are shelved and that one of the major causes is poor estimation practices. If developing software for internal use, poor estimates can represent a significant drain on corporate profits. Worldwide growth in the number of companies specializing in the development of software for use by other companies is staggering. India alone has nearly 20,000 such companies. Intense competition has led to an increased demand for fixed-bid pricing in client/vendor relationships, and has made effective cost estimation even more important and, in many cases, critical to a firm's survival. There are many methods of estimation. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses, proponents and opponents. Knowing how and which one to use on a given project is key to developing acceptable estimates for either internal or external projects.Software Estimation Best Practices, Tools, & Techniques covers all facets of software estimation. It provides a detailed explanation of the various methods for estimating software size, development effort, cost, and schedule, including a comprehensive explanation of Test Effort Estimation. Emphasizing that software estimation should be based on a well-defined process, it presents software estimation best practices and shows how to avoid common pitfalls. This guide offers direction on which methods are most appropriate for each of the different project types commonly executed in the software development space and criteria for selecting software estimation tools. This comprehensive desk reference explains software estimation from scratch to help the beginner and features advanced techniques for more experienced estimators. It details project scheduling, including resource leveling and the concept of productivity, as applicable to software estimators, demonstrating the many benefits of moving from the current macro-productivity approach to a micro-productivity approach in software estimation. Software Estimation Best Practices, Tools, & Techniques: A Complete Guide for Software Project Estimators caters to the needs of all software project stakeholders, from novice to expert. It provides the valuable guidance needed to estimate the cost and time required to complete software projects within a reasonable margin of error for effective software development.
Often referred to as the “black art” because of its complexity and uncertainty, software estimation is not as difficult or puzzling as people think. In fact, generating accurate estimates is straightforward—once you understand the art of creating them. In his highly anticipated book, acclaimed author Steve McConnell unravels the mystery to successful software estimation—distilling academic information and real-world experience into a practical guide for working software professionals. Instead of arcane treatises and rigid modeling techniques, this guide highlights a proven set of procedures, understandable formulas, and heuristics that individuals and development teams can apply to their projects to help achieve estimation proficiency. Discover how to: Estimate schedule and cost—or estimate the functionality that can be delivered within a given time frame Avoid common software estimation mistakes Learn estimation techniques for you, your team, and your organization * Estimate specific project activities—including development, management, and defect correction Apply estimation approaches to any type of project—small or large, agile or traditional Navigate the shark-infested political waters that surround project estimates When many corporate software projects are failing, McConnell shows you what works for successful software estimation.
The widespread deployment of millions of current and emerging software applications has placed software economic studies among the most critical of any form of business analysis. Unfortunately, a lack of an integrated suite of metrics makes software economic analysis extremely difficult. The International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG), a nonprofit and member-governed organization, has become the recognized leader in promoting the effective management of application software development and maintenance activities. The IFPUG Guide to IT and Software Measurement brings together 52 leading software measurement experts from 13 different countries who share their insights and expertise. Covering measurement programs, function points in measurement, new technologies, and metrics analysis, this volume: Illustrates software measurement's role in new and emerging technologies Addresses the impact of agile development on software measurement Presents measurement as a powerful tool for auditing and accountability Includes metrics for the CIO Edited by IFPUG's Management and Reporting Committee, the text is useful for IT project managers, process improvement specialists, measurement professionals, and business professionals who need to interact with IT professionals and participate in IT decision-making. It includes coverage of cloud computing, agile development, quantitative project management, process improvement, measurement as a tool in accountability, project ROI measurement, metrics for the CIO, value stream mapping, and benchmarking.
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Product-Focused Software Process Improvement, PROFES 2019, held in Barcelona, Spain, in November 2019. The 24 revised full papers 4 industry papers, and 11 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 104 submissions. The papers cover a broad range of topics related to professional software development and process improvement driven by product and service quality needs. They are organized in topical sections on testing, software development, technical debt, estimations, continuous delivery, agile, project management, microservices, and continuous experimentation. This book also includes papers from the co-located events: 10 project papers, 8 workshop papers, and 4 tutorial summaries.
The rise of the information age and the digital economy has dramatically changed engineering and other technology-driven fields. With tremendous advances in computing and communication systems, major organizational upheavals, all fueled by complexity, globalization, short cycle times, and lean supply chains, the functions of engineers have significantly changed. Engineers and similar professionals must be technically savvy and have product management and costing skills all while working in a distributed and often unstable environment. This new-edition textbook is updated to cover the integration of cost, risk, value, scheduling, and informationtechnologies going beyond basic engineering economics. Engineering Economics of Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Second Edition, offers a systems and life cycle or total ownership cost perspective. It presents advanced costing techniques such as simulation-based costing, decision and risk analysis, complex systemscosting, software, big data, and cloud computing estimation. Examples and problems demonstrating these techniques with real-world applications are also included. All engineers and similar professionals will find this book useful, but it is mainly written for systems engineers, engineering managers, program/product managers, and industrial engineers. The text can serve as a professional reference or for use with graduate courses on advanced engineering economic analysis and cost management, and financial analysis for engineers.
An updated edition of the bestselling book on managing IT projects New topics introduced in this edition include Adaptive and eXtreme management methods, team selection and management, and risk analysis Immerses readers in a simulated real-world situation where they must perform as seasoned project managers to move example projects through their lifecycles Walks readers through a series of projects that they are most likely to encounter on the job Authors adhere to the Project Management Institute's (PMI®) curriculum outline The fully-interactive CD-ROM has been updated for MS Project 2002 (PMI, PMP, and Project Management Professional are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.)
