IT Managements

Rule of Thumb for IT Professionals –Project Estimating

This class is focused on studying the question "Are there rules of thumb that we can all benefit from knowing?" It is reassuring to think that there are such rules. Everyone in IT, at one time or another has been faced with giving an estimate without sufficient information. While these SWAGs are usually intended to give a reference point for the duration, cost, or complexity of a project, often that first guess becomes carved in stone and sets the expectations from the project. Through this course, will examine all aspects of "rules of thumbs" and help show those that work and those that do not.

Objectives
Attendees will learn:

High level scoping techniques to help improve these critical early estimates or SWAGs.
Various models for staffing curves.
Fudge factors: should you use them? If everyone is adding 50% to their guess and the projects are still late, how do you know what figures to trust?
How to review estimates for sanity.
How to spot a project that is running late or is low in quality so that you will not make a colossal and career limiting mistake.
Top down or bottom up? Should you estimate by the piece and add it all up? Should you make a bold guess for the whole thing and divide it down? We will show you how to choose the estimating route that is right for your project.
To reuse or not to reuse? Many systems are not from scratch. Should you reuse parts of the old system or push for a rewrite? What parts should be reused? We answer these questions and introduce the concept of "shrink wrap reuse."

Duration –1 day

Who Should Attend
Anyone that makes critical decisions and those that require decisions from IT personnel will be well served by this unique course. As the course explains the necessity of SWAGs, it also points out the dangers and pitfalls. Both the givers of best guesses and the receivers would be well served to understand the dynamics of them and how to use Rules of Thumbs to provide the best information possible.

Class Format-Lecture, discussion, exercise

Instructor George Kelly Flanagin or Susan R. Jacobs, Dr. Pamela Kiecker or John N. Pastore Jr.