Estimating Software Costs: Bringing Realism to Estimating
Get a handle on skyrocketing software costs. Are your software costs spiraling out of control? Do your projects chronically run late, exceed budget, and go out the door bug-laden, if at all? Have you discovered a commercial software cost estimating tool that works for your situation? Are you even familiar with how these increasingly sophisticated tools operate? Capers Jones, a pioneer and innovator in the field, probes the fundamental issues involved with the notoriously tough task of software cost estimation. Rather than provide simplistic manual formulas that lack the accuracy needed for contracts and serious business purposes, he explores in great detail the mutifaceted variables that cause estimates to be higher or lower than average. The result for you: A clear, complete understanding of how to estimate software costs, schedules, and quality far more effectively than you may have thought possible. You'll learn the technical details of how software cost estimates are produced...what kinds of commercial tools are available...how these tools work within various project management suites...and how to troubleshoot and solve typical problems, such as: sizing the project before requirements are firm; dealing with creeping requirements; handling excessive schedule pressure; taking international factors into account; planning for contractual and legal concerns.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.