Estimating workflow hours

[Kjetil Kilhavn]

The good old "how much time do you feel it should take" method is in use
here. No formal methods.

Not that we are making many new workflows, but estimating is one of the
least mature areas of software development whether it is workflow or
traditional coding. I used to work with software measurement and estimates
for a previous employer, and even when using formal methods with experience
data it is very difficult to make estimates. Unlike many other industries
we "never" make the same product twice, and often it is not the same people
working together except within a project. So all we have to help us when
estimating is previous personal experience, unless you have been gathering
experience data using some formal method.
Assuming you have a near perfect specification you can probably make a very
reliable estimate, at least if you have some previous experience data. So
one trick is of course to say the estimate assumes there will be no changes
in or additions to the specifications. That should give you a safe escape :
-)

Not much help I guess.... you are on your own. My best advice: always give
the estimate as a range. When there is high uncertainty an estimate of 1000
hours doesn't say as much as between 500 and 3000 hours. The second best
option is to give an estimate and a quantified uncertainty. However, in the
latter case the project manager will most likely forget the uncertainty and
use the estimate.

Ask the accountant for an estimate on specifying and verifying the
controlling processes required to be compliant with the Sarbannes-Oxley
act.
Can't do it? Well...
--
Kjetil Kilhavn




                                                                                                                                              
                    "Rick Sample"                                                                                                             
                    <Rick.Sample@        To:     SAP-WUG at MITVMA.MIT.EDU                                                                       
                    GBE.COM>             cc:     (bcc: Kjetil Kilhavn)                                                                        
                    Sent by:             Subject:     Estimating workflow hours                                                               
                    sap-wug-bounc                                                                                                             
                    es at mit.edu                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                              
                    21.03.2005                                                                                                                
                    18:28                                                                                                                     
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                    "SAP Workflow                                                                                                             
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I am looking for some rough guidelines for estimating cost of WF
development.
Not an exact science I know but some general guidelines on what others
are
estimating on development would help.

Would be nice to estimate by days, weeks, and months but project
management and
accountants don't like that method.


Any help is appreciated.
4.6C

Rick Sample
SAP Workflow / Developer
Graybar, Inc.
11885 Lackland Rd.
63146-4208
314.573.5822
Rick.Sample at GBE.com

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