Hunting the Elusive Defendable Estimate
Software estimation appears to be a difficult thing to do well. This is not because software is inherently different from anything else we need to estimate, but because we have been seduced into thinking that complex approaches and involved analysis somehow makes our estimates more defendable. What often happens is that we make a simple activity difficult, fail to focus on the important elements, and end up disappointed in the results. Read more
Are You Really Covered?
I noted previously that you should test your safety nets before you need them – you should confirm that you can actually use your backup and CM systems for what they were intended to do – allow you to reproduce what you have done in the past. It is important to know that in the event of a disk crash you can quickly bring your system back up to where you were, and that you can recreate exactly what a client has installed in the field. Unfortunately, having tapes offsite and a CM tool filled with your source files is not enough – you have to be sure you have the right information saved. Read more
