Software Project Estimation

Onsite Training: Technical and Project Management
  • Course:Software Project Estimation
  • Course ID:SWPE Duration:2 days Where: Your Office (7+ Persons)
  • Available as a private, customized course for your group at your offices or ours and in some cases as a WebLive(TM) class.

  • Download Course Description (PDF)

Course Outline

  • Introduction
    • Estimation goals
    • Definitions
    • Expert-based techniques
    • Model-based techniques
    • Assigning confidence levels
  • Expert-based techniques
    • Analogy
    • Wideband Delphi
    • Using work breakdown structure
  • COSMIC function points:  A model-based approach
    • Functional size measurement concepts
    • COSMIC vs. IFPUG function points
    • Determining measurement scope
    • Identifying software boundaries
    • Identifying functional processes
    • Identifying data groups
    • Identifying data movements
    • Calculating functional size
    • Transforming functional size into effort and schedule estimates
    • Local customization
  • Other model-based approaches
    • Sizing based on lines of code
    • Published transformation models
    • COCOMO II:  An estimation tool
  • Course wrap-up
    • Lessons learned
    • Where to go from here
    • Discussions and evaluations

 

Course Overview

Course in a Nutshell

Woody Allen is reputed to have said, “I can predict anything except the future.” Clearly, he would not do well with software projects, where the need and ability to predict effort, cost, and expected project duration are absolutely critical. This course describes two major approaches to project estimation: based on expert opinion, such as analogy and wideband Delphi; and based on mathematical models, such as COSMIC function points and COCOMO.

 

Customize It!

  • Is your organization interested in a specific estimation method, such as wideband Delphi? We can customize the course to focus on your chosen method(s).
  • Are you engaged in preparing a historical project database and in calibrating your estimation tool? We can orient the course to one or both of these topics.

 

Learn How To

  • Exploit expert knowledge in the estimation process
  • Define the scope of an estimation task
  • Predict functional size of software using the COSMIC approach to sizing
  • Transform size predictions into effort, cost, and schedule estimates
  • Use multiple estimation methods to increase confidence in predictions
  • Apply estimation techniques to maintenance activities
  • Report estimation results
  • Employ historical databases to calibrate estimation models
Audience / Prerequisites

Aimed At

Information Technology (IT) practitioners, including managers, analysts, developers, and testers who may be called upon to predict the effort, cost, or schedule of a software project.

 

Prerequisites

None