Advanced Topic 49 of 50 Software Engineering
Software Estimation
Predicting effort and schedule for development work.
How it works
Techniques include story points, planning poker, three-point estimates and reference-class forecasting; the cone of uncertainty shows early estimates are wide.
Where it is used
Roadmaps and commitments.
Common pitfall
Treating estimates as promises.
Where it fits in the course
Software Estimation is topic 49 of 50 in Software Engineering, rated Advanced. It follows Site Reliability Engineering. The next topic is Open Source Practices.
Practice and explore
- Open the interactive lesson, with a mini quiz.
- Take the Software Engineering quiz.
How to study this topic
- Read the explanation above and restate the definition in your own words.
- Open the interactive lesson and answer its mini quiz.
- Read the common pitfall, then write a short example that avoids it.
- Check your understanding in the Software Engineering quiz, and revisit the topic if you miss a question.
Frequently asked questions
What is Software Estimation?
Predicting effort and schedule for development work. It belongs to Software Engineering and is an advanced-level topic.
Where do people use Software Estimation?
Roadmaps and commitments.
What is the most common mistake with Software Estimation?
Treating estimates as promises.
What should I learn before this topic?
Start with Site Reliability Engineering, the topic just before it in Software Engineering.
How can I practice it?
Answer the mini quiz in the interactive lesson, then take the Software Engineering quiz.
Is Software Estimation hard to learn?
It is an Advanced topic. Expect to read the explanation more than once and to connect it with earlier topics. Working through a small example by hand helps most.
How long does it take to learn Software Estimation?
Most learners can read the explanation and finish the interactive lesson in under an hour. Fluency comes from applying the idea, so plan a few short practice sessions with the quiz.
Which topics are related to Software Estimation?
Site Reliability Engineering, Open Source Practices, Chaos Engineering are closely connected. The full list is in the related topics section of this page.
What should I study after Software Estimation?
Continue with Open Source Practices, the next topic in Software Engineering.
Related topics
- Site Reliability Engineering (Software Engineering)
- Open Source Practices (Software Engineering)
- Chaos Engineering (Software Engineering)
- Property-Based Testing (Software Engineering)
- Software Transactional Memory (Concurrency & Parallelism)
- Software-Defined Networking (Computer Networks)
- Automotive Software (Mobile, Embedded & IoT)