What Is a "Good" Estimate?

The author discusses the development of estimates in software project management. He argues that like an effective weather forecast, a software project estimate should also incorporate factors such as accuracy, consistency, quality, value, honesty, and return. Topics include data inclusion requireme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Communications of the ACM Vol. 56; no. 6; pp. 31 - 33
Main Author:	Armour, Phillip G.
Format:	Opinion
Published:	Association for Computing Machinery Jun2013
Subjects:	Estimates Computer software development > Management Project management Accuracy
Online Access:	View this record in EBSCOhost

Description
Summary:	The author discusses the development of estimates in software project management. He argues that like an effective weather forecast, a software project estimate should also incorporate factors such as accuracy, consistency, quality, value, honesty, and return. Topics include data inclusion requirements, probability of correspondence between estimate and result, and recalibration of estimates for future projects.