An experiment on software project size and effort estimation

Expert judgement is still the dominant technique in practice today for estimation of software project size and effort. In this paper, two instruments are evaluated that have been frequently suggested as effective support for human estimators: checklists and group discussions. A student experiment has been conducted to investigate how checklists and group discussions help estimators to improve their estimates. The results suggest that both checklists and group discussions help significantly in estimation, each instrument in a distinct way, so that both techniques are complementary in providing effective support for inexperienced as well as experienced estimators. Keywords. Effort estimation, software size estimation, experiment, checklists, group estimation, Delphi technique. 

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: ISESE
• Authors: Ursula Passing, Martin J. Shepperd
• Keywords: Discussions Help Estimators, Effective Support, Group Discussions, ISESE 2003