Adding it all up – the final estimate

When you have gathered all of the detailed task estimates, you need to add up the details to a total estimate for the entire project.

As a starting point, you add up all of the expected task efforts. Remember that these are calculated based on your three-point estimates using the formula earlier in this chapter. This total is the total effort most likely needed to complete the project.

Swings and roundabouts

A fairground owner will say: "What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts." A developer will recognize this: some things take longer (closer to the pessimistic estimate), and some take shorter (closer to the optimistic estimate). However, it is extremely unlikely that everything takes as long ...

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