Software Estimation Techniques: Overview, Analysis, and Implementation

This report provides a comprehensive overview of software estimation techniques, crucial for successful software project management. It delves into various methods, including the Delphi Technique, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), the Functional Point method, Test Point Estimation, and Use Case Point Estimation. The report highlights the importance of prerequisites like analyzing past projects and utilizing repository tools for clarifying project scope. It discusses the practical application of each technique, emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses. The report further explores the benefits of WBS in managing complex projects and the statistical basis of three-point estimation. The conclusion stresses the need for experienced professionals, adoption of best practices, and an open-minded approach to customize procedures for improved software testing outcomes. This report is a valuable resource for students seeking to understand and apply software estimation techniques effectively.

Running head: SOFTWARE ESTIMATION TECHNIQUES
SOFTWARE ESTIMATION TECHNIQUES
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Introduction
For a successful project of software and also for an appropriate task execution, the techniques
of estimation are known to be playing a greatly important role in the life cycle of the development of
software (Satapathy, Acharya & Rath, 2016). The specific technique which is utilised for the
calculation of the time needed for accomplishing a specific task is known as the techniques of
estimation. For estimating a particular task several effective techniques of software estimation can be
greatly utilised for obtaining a much better estimation. The specific estimate is actually the prediction
or rather an idea which is rough for determining the amount of effort for the completion of the task.
The specific calculation of the techniques of estimation will be greatly based upon the earlier
experience, documents which are available, risks which are calculated and also various assumptions
(Usman et al., 2014).
The main aim of the study is to discuss some of the techniques of software estimation and
also some of the recent options which have been available.
Body
For a proper risk free procedure of the software test estimation, there are some very basic
prerequisites (Fedotova, Teixeira & Alvelos, 2013). Firstly, it is really very much useful and a good
practice to directly spend some amount of time by recalling all of the earlier projects which may be
posing various kinds of challenges which are quite similar to the recent endeavour at the hand. The
repository tools of the management of test mainly come in handy within various kinds of scenarios as
they will be storing all of the various documents of clarification as well as all of the different
requirements. Such documents can be hugely referred by that of the team of testing for clearly
defining the particular scope of the project (Pandey, 2013). Even the earlier experience of working is
known to be greatly helping a lot for making several assumptions regarding the specific project. This
is actually where hiring all the professionals which are greatly experienced matters the most. The
managers of testing can be picking up all of the brains of such people for the direct delivery of the
results which are desired. The team of testing will be then properly visualising all of the various risks

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as well as threats which are potential which may be lying for the entire team in the nearer future.
There is also a need for the team of testing to properly determine if all of the needs have been either
properly baselined or not. If all of the various documents are not at all baselined then it is really very
much essential to particularly determine the specific frequency of all the various alternations. The
enterprise must be clearly defining all of the various responsibilities as well as roles of all the various
people who will be found to be involved within the procedure of estimation. All of the various
information which will be relevant to that of the procedure of estimation must be properly
documented (Kumari & Pushkar, 2013).
Some of the mostly prominent software test estimation technique will be involving the
estimation of the test point, estimation based upon the work phase and lastly the estimation of the use
case point (Rastogi, Dhankhar & Kakkar, 2014). The estimation of the test point is considered to be
very much simple as well as easy to understand which is greatly utilised across the spectrum of the
software testing. Phases which are iterative as well as simplicity are considered to be the most
essential features of this specific technique. On the other hand, estimation based upon the work phase
is greatly utilised whereby a specific estimate of guess is made upon a specific phase and then the
team of testing will be gradually adding on some other phases into the starting estimation and will be
then finally coming up with a proper estimation (Jayakumar & Abran, 2013). Lastly, the technique of
the use case point estimation is actually a specific estimation upon the various use cases where the
weight of the actor which is unadjusted and the weights of the use case which is unadjusted are
utilised for the determination of the estimation of software testing.
There are several kinds of techniques of software testing estimation which can be greatly
utilised for the estimation of the task. All of these techniques will be involving the Delphi Technique,
WBS or Work Breakdown structure, Method of Functional Point and the Estimation of Three Point.
As per the Delphi technique is considered, this is considered to be one of the broadly utilised
estimation technique of software testing (Bardsiri & Hashemi, 2014). This particular method is known
to be greatly based upon various surveys and it mainly gathers a lot of information from all the
various participants who are actually experts. In this particular technique of estimation, each and

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every task is known to be assigned to each and every member of team or rather over several rounds
surveys are conducted till there is an ultimate final task estimation which will be finalised. In each of
the rounds, huge thoughts regarding the task are collected and some feedbacks are also offered. By
utilising this particular method, one can be obtaining results which will be both qualitative as well as
quantitative (Usman, Mendes & Börstler, 2015). This particular technique will be offering a great
confidence within the estimation. This particular technique can be greatly utilised with the specific
combination of some other various techniques.
As per the Structure of Work Breakdown is considered, a huge project is actually made quite
manageable by firstly breaking it into several components within a specific structure which is
hierarchical called the structure of work breakdown (Kaur & Salaria, 2013). WBS is known to be
greatly helping the manager of the IT project and also the entire IT team for the creation of the
scheduling of task and the detailed estimation of the cost of the entire IT project. By utilising all of the
various motions of WBS, the manager of the IT project and also the team will be possessing quite
good concept if or not they have properly captured all of the important tasks which will be based upon
all the actual requirements of the entire project. In this specific technique, a huge complex IT project
is divided into several smaller pieces. There are various important benefits of the WBS. WBS is
known to be forcing the entire team to properly create steps which will be much detailed. In the WBS,
all of the various steps which will be needed for building the service are properly divided into much
detailed task by the manager of the project, IT team and also the customers ( Borade & Khalkar,
2013). It even helps a lot for raising all of the various issues which are greatly critical. It even helps a
lot for narrowing down the project’s scope. The WBS also helps a lot for the enhancement of both the
schedule as well as the budget. As all of the various tasks are available already, it will be helping a lot
for generating a schedule which will be meaningful. WBS even helps a lot for creating accountability.
The particular level of the breakdown of the details task will be helping a lot for particularly assigning
a specific module task to that of the individual which will be making easier to properly hold the
person entirely accountable for the completion of the task. The creation of the work breakdown
structure will also be breeding commitment. The entire procedure of the development as well as the

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completion of the WBS will be breeding both commitment as well as excitement (Britto, Mendes &
Börstler, 2015). Even though the manager of the project will be often developing high levelled WBS,
he will even be seeking for a huge participation of the core team of him for directly fleshing out the
great detail of BS. This kind of participation will be sparking involvement within the project
(Colomo-Palacios et al., 2014).
Estimation of the three point is actually a method of estimation which will be entirely based
upon the data which is statistical. It is quite similar to that of the technique of WBS where task are
known to be broken down into some sub tasks. ‘A’ is the optimistic estimate and ‘B’ is the pessimistic
estimate and the specific formula for searching the value for the specific estimate E will be A + (4*M)
+ B/6 and the standard deviation SD will be (B-A)/6. In the current times, it has been known that the
Delphi estimates are the mostly popular software test techniques of estimation. Lastly, the functional
point is greatly measured from the specific point of view of the user. It is known to be hugely
dependent of the language of computer, ability, technology or rather the methodology of the
development of the team. It is greatly based upon all of the various documents which are available
like Design, SRS etc. In this specific technique of FP, there is a need for giving the weightage to each
and every point which is functional. Prior to that of the starting of the actual tasks of estimating all of
the points which are functional are known to be divided into three different groups like simple,
medium or rather complex. Based upon same kinds of projects as well as standards of organization,
there is need for the definition of the estimate per points of function ( Shekhar & Kumar, 2016). It is
known that the total estimate of the effort = Total points of function * Defined estimate per functional
point. There are various benefits of the particular method of Functional Point. In the specific stage of
the pre-project all of the various estimates can be easily prepared. Based upon all the various
documents of requirement specification, the reliability of the method is quite higher.
Conclusion
There may be various kinds of methods which can be greatly utilised for the various
techniques of the project test estimation. This particular study has been comprising of all of the
various popular techniques of software estimation which is greatly utilised for the estimation of

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software project. There cannot at all be a sole rule which will be hard and fast for the estimation of the
effort of testing for the entire project. It is greatly recommended to directly add on to the bases of
knowledge which will be possible for the methods of test estimation and the templates of estimation
which are revised constantly based upon all of the findings which are completely new. Software
estimation technique is actually the specific practice which will be requiring the huge involvement of
all of the various professionals which are highly experienced and also the introduction of all the
various best practices round the industry like the point of test case and the methods of the point of use
case. It is also very much essential to properly adopt a completely open mind for the customisation of
all of the various procedures which are needed. A successful implementation of all of such procedures
will be leading towards an overall enhancement within the procedure of testing.

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References
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