estimation
One of the most challenging aspects of any software project is estimation – determining how long the work will take. It’s so difficult, some call it a black art. That’s why I highly recommend McConnell’s book, Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art; it’s the definitive work on
software development concepts
For the final installment in the How Good an Estimator Are You series, I’d like to start with an anecdote from chapter 7 of Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art : Suppose you’re at a reception for the world’s best software estimators. The room is packed, and you’
software development concepts
Here are the answers to the quiz presented in How Good an Estimator Are You? If you’re concerned that a quiz like this has nothing to do with software development, consider: In software, you aren’t often asked to estimate the volume of the Great Lakes or the surface
software development
I’m currently reading Steve McConnell’s new book, Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art. The section on individual expert judgment provided one simple reason why my estimates are often so horribly wrong: If you ask a developer to estimate a set of features, the developer will often come back