- The Estimating Principle
- Project Size
- Project Complexity
- Other Sizing Techniques
- Capability to Deliver
- Industry Data
- Summary
Capability to Deliver
The capability to deliver software is based upon a variety of risk factors that influence a development organization's capability to deliver software in a timely and economical fashion. Risk factors include such things as the software processes that will be used, the skill levels of the staff (including user personnel) who will be involved, the automation that will be utilized, and the influences of the physical (development conditions) and business environment (competition and regulatory requirements). In fact, numerous factors influence our ability to deliver software in a timely fashion with high quality. Categorized here are some examples of influencing factors that must be evaluated to produce an accurate estimate.
The key to effectively utilizing these factors is centered on the development of a historical baseline of performance. An organization should develop profiles that reflect rate of delivery for a project of a given size, complexity, and risk factors. In turn, this information can be used to predict and explore "what-if" scenarios on future projects (see Figure 3).
An organization should develop profiles that reflect the rate of delivery for a project of a given size, complexity, and risk factors. In turn, this information can be used to predict and explore "what-if" scenarios on future projects.