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Estimating how long any given task will take seems to be one of the hardest parts about software development. At my current shop we estimate tasks in hours at the start of an iteration, but once the task is complete we do not use it to aide us in future estimations.
How do you use the information you gather from past estimations to refine future ones?
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How is estimation done. The technique of bottom-up estimating involves estimation of costs involved in each activity or work package, rolling it up into control units and then finally to the overall project estimate. This is another reason why a WBS should be well created by the project team.
Analyzing, Refining & Decomposing requirements include the following eleven (11) steps: Assess each top-level requirement for feasibility (see Feasibility Assessment) of implementation, consistency within program constraints, and its ability to be verified.
In conclusion, there is an unrealistic pressure to complete projects faster, cheaper and more efficiently. By developing and implementing these control points into the estimating process, you increase your estimate accuracy and improve the probability of delivering projects accurately and timely.
Costs can be estimated using the methods that are available in the Time Management concept. One-point estimating, analogous estimating, parametric estimating, and three-point (PERT) estimating. Another method of estimation that we will now study is bottom-up estimating technique.
By far one of the most interesting approaches I've ever seen for scheduling realistically is Evidence Based Scheduling which is part of the FogCreek FogBugz 6.0 release. See Joel's blog post linked above for a synopsis and some examples.
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