Chapter 7

Tip #30 

Count if at all possible. Compute when you can't count. Use judgment alone only as a last resort.

Tip #31 

Look for something you can count that is a meaningful measure of the scope of work in your environment.

Tip #32 

Collect historical data that allows you to compute an estimate from a count.

Tip #33 

Don't discount the power of simple, coarse estimation models such as average effort per defect, average effort per Web page, average effort per story, and average effort per use case.

Tip #34 

Avoid using expert judgment to tweak an estimate that has been derived through computation. Such "expert judgment" usually degrades the estimate's accuracy.