Software projects are notoriously difficult to estimate a time-to-completion, especially in the earliest days of a proposal. Sometimes, simple projects can prove time- and resource-consuming, and seemingly hard projects can complete quickly. Because learning is involved in every project, even good project managers struggle with wildly varying possibilities at first. Author Johanna Rothman offers her advice about what to do with this situation.
A few pieces of her advice stand out. First, when estimating, always provide a window of confidence (e.g., 3-6 months) instead of a definitive date. Second, iterate your estimation as time goes on; your accuracy will improve dramatically each week. Third, always consult the people doing the work to get their best guesses. Fourth, remember each project’s constraints and each project’s unique goal to optimize (features, cost, or schedule).
Unfortunately, this book represents a compilation of 26 blog posts, which need to be edited together into a coherent thesis instead of lightly stitched together more like an anthology, as here. I don’t mind reading short-form blogs, but a book needs to be developed as a long-form project with some central themes. Those primary principles are altogether lacking here, and the reader is left for them to emerge from the shorter blog posts. That’s unfortunate because the offered advice has a solid foundation in experience and reflection.
Predicting the Unpredictable: Pragmatic Approaches to Estimating Project Schedule or Cost
By Johanna Rothman
Copyright (c) 2015
Independently Published
ISBN13 9781943487004
Page Count: 108
Genre: Software Management
www.amazon.com