Course Description
Proactive, effective, and time management estimating techniques for delivering projects within their deadline, budget, and scope are covered in this course.

Features
• Our facilitators bring real-world experience to every workshop.
• As a team you will work through a hands-on case study while simulating an information technology (IT) project.
• Our workshops provide an experiential environment where you can take risks and make adjustments.

Discover how to:
• Estimate software project characteristics and delivery of software projects.
• Explore difficulties, problems, and concerns with estimating software projects.
• Understand the obstacles that can occur in accurate estimating.
• Learn reliable estimating methods.
• Perform function point analysis.
• Apply network activity techniques.
• Identify risk.
• Understand the building of an estimating infrastructure.
Condensed Outline:

Introduction
• How to get the most out of this workshop
• Workshop content
• Workshop objectives
• Introductions
Estimating Concepts
• Software estimating: what do you estimate and how is it used?
• Definitions
• Difficulties, problems, and concerns
• Software project characteristics
• Software estimating characteristics

Estimating Concepts, continued
• Estimating accuracy
• Obstacles to accurate estimating
• The estimating challenge
• How to develop accurate estimates

Estimating Methods
• Sizing vs. estimating
• Methods of sizing
• Methods of estimating
• Fuzzy logic
• The Delphi technique
• Comparative estimating

Estimating Methods, continued
• Cost estimating models
• Effort distribution
• Parametric models
• Prototyping
• Task-based estimating
• Function point analysis
• Network diagrams
• Software estimating tools

Task-Based Estimating
• Work breakdown structure (WBS)
• Methods of subdivision
• Understand the task
• Expert opinion
• Weighted average
• Resource profiling
• Baseline effort
• Work interruption factor
• Part-time effect
• Skill factor
• Normalized effort
• Task productivity

Function Point Analysis
• Business functions — outputs, inputs, inquiries, logical files, and interfaces
• Function complexity
• Processing complexity
• Adjusted function points
• Use of function point value
• Counting function points
• Model structure — process, data and data structure, behavior (state)

Network Techniques
• Two primary methods
• Two primary notations
• Network activity
• Precedence
• Precedence logic
• Estimating activity duration
• Network terms
• Formal activity notation
• Critical path

Risk Management
• Ways to identify risk
• Portfolio management
• Checklist
• Risk assessment
• Contingency planning
• Contingencies and reserves
• Risk management method

Infrastructure
• When do you estimate?
• Use of methods
• 7-step estimating program
• Why use metrics?
• Summary of methods
• When to use different methods