Table of Contents - Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art (Best Practices (Microsoft))

Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art
bySteve McConnell
Microsoft Press 2006 (338 pages)
ISBN:0735605351
Providing a proven set of procedures and heuristics that software developers, technical leads, and project managers can apply to their projects, this guide will help organizations achieve basic estimation proficiency.

Table of Contents
	Software Estimation—Demystifying the Black Art
	Welcome
	Part I - Critical Estimation Concepts
	Chapter 1	-	What Is an "Estimate"?
	Chapter 2	-	How Good an Estimator Are You?
	Chapter 3	-	Value of Accurate Estimates
	Chapter 4	-	Where Does Estimation Error Come From?
	Chapter 5	-	Estimate Influences
	Part II - Fundamental Estimation Techniques
	Chapter 6	-	Introduction to Estimation Techniques
	Chapter 7	-	Count, Compute, Judge
	Chapter 8	-	Calibration and Historical Data
	Chapter 9	-	Individual Expert Judgment
	Chapter 10	-	Decomposition and Recomposition
	Chapter 11	-	Estimation by Analogy
	Chapter 12	-	Proxy-Based Estimates
	Chapter 13	-	Expert Judgment in Groups
	Chapter 14	-	Software Estimation Tools
	Chapter 15	-	Use of Multiple Approaches
	Chapter 16	-	Flow of Software Estimates on a Well-Estimated Project
	Chapter 17	-	Standardized Estimation Procedures
	Part III - Specific Estimation Challenges
	Chapter 18	-	Special Issues in Estimating Size
	Chapter 19	-	Special Issues in Estimating Effort
	Chapter 20	-	Special Issues in Estimating Schedule
	Chapter 21	-	Estimating Planning Parameters
	Chapter 22	-	Estimate Presentation Styles
	Chapter 23	-	Politics, Negotiation, and Problem Solving
	Appendix A	-	Estimate Sanity Check
	Appendix B	-	Answers to Chapter 2 Quiz, "How Good an Estimator Are You?"
	Appendix C	-	Software Estimation Tips
	Bibliography
	Index
	List of Figures
	List of Tables
	List of Sidebars

Unlike other books that focus exclusively on the science of estimation—including rigid modeling techniques and continuous feedback loops that are not cost effective to most organizations—this unique guide offers practical, tested, hands-on advice for estimating software development costs in the real world. It is written by the award-winning author of Code Complete.

Key Book Benefits:

Delivers practical insights about a critical subject too-often obscured by academic jargon
Two-color graphics present mathematical information in an easy-to-understand format
Provides specific practices that can be used immediately by any software development organization
Features numerous, to-the-point tips about the estimation process, as well as individual steps to creating successful estimates

About the Author

Steve McConnell is Chief Software Engineer at Construx Software where he oversees Construx's software engineering practices. Steve is the lead for the Construction Knowledge Area of the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) project. Steve has worked on software projects at Microsoft, Boeing, and other Seattle-area companies. Steve was the lead developer of Construx Estimate and of SPC Estimate Professional, winner of a Software Development magazine Productivity Award.

Steve is the author of Rapid Development (1996), Software Project Survival Guide (1998), Professional Software Development (2004) and Code Complete, Second Edition (2004). His books have twice won Software Development magazine's Jolt Product Excellence Award for outstanding software development book of the year. Steve was also the lead developer of SPC Estimate Professional, winner of a Software Development Productivity award. In 1998, readers of Software Development magazine named Steve one of the three most influential people in the software industry, along with Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds.

Steve earned a Bachelor's degree from Whitman College and a Master's degree in software engineering from Seattle University. He lives in Bellevue, Washington.