Chapter 4. Effort Estimation and Scheduling

In early 2000, the newspapers and TV in India reported with jubilation the successful test flight of a newly built light combat aircraft. But the detailed reports also indicated a somber side: The prototype delivery was more than five years late, and the project had cost more than 10 times its initial estimated cost. Many projects across the world suffer a similar fate. It seems as if the estimated cost and time are never enough to execute a project. Improper estimation is the bane of project management in many engineering disciplines, and software engineering is no different, as the poor record of software projects unambiguously illustrates.

In a services business, improper estimation hurts even more. ...

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