Software development time estimation is not an easy task, as many known and unknown factors must be taken into account to answer the question of how long a project will be completed. However, there are some tried and trusted methods to do it and in this article, we will consider them.
What is time estimation in software development?
Software development time estimation is an estimate of the amount of time it takes to complete software development tasks. The accuracy of calculating this indicator depends on understanding the features of software development, in particular, knowledge about which specialists are involved in the project, what stages the software development process consists of, as well as what unforeseen situations can occur, and how to avoid them.
The three main stages of software evaluation are:
- Estimating the complexity of developing software;
- Analysis of labor costs in man-months (man-hours);
- Financial evaluation of the project cost.
The calculation of the product development time is very important because, without this, the development company will not be able to adequately estimate the duration and cost of the project. This negatively affects the company’s image, in particular, there is a risk of spoiling relationships with customers, as customers expect specificity and reliability from the contractor.
The importance of time estimation in software development
To correctly assess the time and material costs of creating a product, and save money and time during the implementation of the project, you need to correctly assess the time and work that needs to be devoted to solving the problems.
Reasons for the importance of counting time and effort:
- Ignoring this task can lead to the fact that the cost of project implementation will not correspond to the resources spent on development
- At the same time, revaluation of the project cost may lead to the fact that the project will be developed by a competitor who has correctly calculated efforts.
- It is recommended to evaluate the project development process objectively and realistically in order to avoid unpleasant situations.
Errors that occur while time estimation
Despite the importance of estimating software development time, many companies fail to calculate correctly. Let’s look at the most common causes of errors.
- Negligence. Experts have not paid enough attention to this problem;
- Underestimation of potential problems. It is true that it is unrealistic to foresee all the possible difficulties that may arise in the process of software development. However, keep in mind that additional time will be needed to resolve unforeseen problems.
- Unrealistic deadline set by the customer. Project managers and the development team can be pressured by customer requirements, such as goals and deadlines. This can also cause incorrect time calculation, as well as additional financial costs.
- Excessive optimism. The reluctance to get involved in conflicts, as well as “red-tinged lenses” can lead to an unrealistic assessment of efforts for software development.
Rules to avoid miscalculation in time estimation
The main goal of the developer company is to estimate the time and material costs as correctly as possible. However, an accurate assessment requires a lot of effort and time. Let’s look at the basic rules that allow developers to expertly determine the duration of a project.
- An experience.
Experience is one of the main criteria that allows you to adequately assess the complexity of the project and understand what mistakes should be avoided.
- Analogy.
If the company’s portfolio already has similar projects, then it is recommended to evaluate the upcoming project, taking into account the time and material costs spent in the past.
There are different ways to estimate time in software development. Among the most important factors that affect the accuracy of timing are:
- Accurate analysis of all input data;
- Accuracy of all calculations;
- Maximum consistency with historical data or industry data;
- Predictability of the IT solution development process;
- The stability of the requirements for the solution.
Best ways to estimate time for product development
There are four important methods developers use to correctly estimate the time for IT-product creation.
- Comparison method: using experience gained in previous projects.
This method uses systematic data, using experience gained in the development of other IT solutions. The quality of the evaluation with this method is better than the quality of the intuitive estimate.
- The key figure method: creating a unique scoring system.
For the development of different types of IT solutions, unique key indicators are used to determine the nature of the product, for example, depending on which industry it is being developed for. The main advantage of this method is that with the help of such unique indicators, you can quickly and correctly estimate the effort that will have to be spent developing the solution.
- Bottom-up method.
In this case, the forecast is made not for the entire project as a whole, but separately for its constituent tasks. What it looks like: we collect expert opinions, for example, from specialists in analysis, development, testing, and software support. We summarize their estimates together, add the time spent on interaction to them and form a general forecast.
In other words, we collect the estimate in parts, find out how much time each of the participants in the software development process needs and bring everything together, taking into account additional risks.
As a rule, a lot of time needs to be spent on bottom-up time estimation. However, due to the high level of detail at each stage, it is possible to create a thorough plan for the development of an IT solution that can be successfully used during the implementation of the project. This method involves the creation of a structure with a mandatory description of work processes.
- The method of involving different specialists in the assessment.
The quality of estimating the development time of a project in which several specialists participate is better than the opinion of one developer.
Final thoughts
Estimating software development costs is one of the most important activities in the project creation process. You should not ignore the time estimation in software development as without it it is impossible to properly plan and manage the project. The Inoxoft company provides customers with time estimation services, using the best practices to finish the project in time and without force-majeure circumstances.
