Making an estimate (Was Re: monitoring contract programmers)

Hear, hear!

As a contractor with a past in surveying (calculating mean deviations
and such) here is a tip to improve your estimate: Divide the project
into at least 10 smaller projects and make an (equally fine or rough)
estimate of each. The sum will with very little extra effort be much
closer to the result - that's pure mathematics.

And a dirty trick to avoid competition from less serious uderbidding
consultants: Don't give the customer only the one sum. He might find it
too high. You already have more figures, so tell him:

Design and Programming . . . x $
Testing, correction, 
documentation, blah, blah  . y $
                   -------------
Total                        z $

(Of cause, y > x)

Henrik
http://hkrebs.dk

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2000 18:17:28 -0800
From: Bob Buchanan <BobbyB@camstar.com>
Subject: Re: monitoring contract programmers

The best way I have seen to balance between cost and productivity is
asking the contractors for a FIXED BID on a well defined project. 
Defining the project may also be a project in itself.  

While consulting, I did several of these.  Some worked out in my favor
(slightly!) and some worked out in the company's favor (more hours than
I thought it would take) but overall, both of us were happy with the
results.  When I said this project will take X dollars, that's what I
charged them.  And I got really good at estimating projects! (something
a lot of contractors I have worked with don't seem interested in doing
well)

IMnsHO
- -Bob Buchanan


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