This document provides a checklist for assessing the credibility of software cost and schedule estimates. It outlines key factors to examine, including whether the estimate objectives are clear, the task has been appropriately sized, historical data supports the estimates, assumptions have been documented, and steps have been taken to ensure estimate integrity. The checklist also notes that the estimate should still be validated against any recent changes.

1. Software Estimation Checklist
How to assess the credibility of software
cost and schedule estimates
Gerrit Klaschke

2. References
 SEI report: Carnegie Mellon University,
Software Engineering Institute Special
Report, CMU/SEI-95-SR-004
 QSM’s Exhibit A: A Manager’s checklist for
validating software cost and schedule
estimates. www.qsm.com

3. Software Estimation Checklist
 Estimate Objectives
 Are the objectives of the estimate clear and correct and in
writing?
 Is the lifecycle been clearly defined?
 Are included and excluded tasks clearly defined and are the task
objectives consistent with the objectives of the estimate?
 Has the task been appropriately sized?
 Has a structured process been used to estimate the size of the
product and size of the reuse?
 Is the process documented?
 Are the definitions, measures, and rules used to describe the
size and reuse consistent with the requirements of the model
used to estimate cost and schedule?

4. Software Estimation Checklist
 Are the estimated cost and schedule consistent with demonstrated
accomplishments on other projects?
 Is there a structured process and/or estimation tool in use for relating
estimates to actual costs and schedules of complete work? In writing?
Was it followed?
 Have the costs and schedule models that were used been calibrated to
relevant historical data?
 Have the factors that affect the estimate been identified and
explained?
 A written summary of parameter values and their rationales should
accompany the estimate.
 Have all assumptions been identified and explained.
 Have all uncertainties in parameter values been identified and
quantified?
 Has a risk analysis been performed, and risks that affect cost of
schedule been identified and documented?

5. Software Estimation Checklist
 Have steps been taken to ensure the integrity of the estimating
process?
 Have the groups that will be doing the work accepted the estimate as
an achievable target?
 Have people from related but different projects or disciplines been
involved in preparing the estimate and have memorandums of
agreement been completed and signed with those organizations whose
contributions will affect cost or schedule?
 Is the organization’s historical evidence capable of supporting a
reliable estimate?
 Is there a historical database of completed projects that was generated
from captured effort and cost data while a project was ongoing?
 Have past projects held postmortems at the completion of a project to
capture the events that affected costs and schedules?

6. Software Estimation Checklist
 Has the situation changed since the
estimate was prepared?
 Has the estimate been invalidated by recent
events, changing requirements, or
management action (or inaction)?
 Is the estimate being used as the basis for
assigning resources, deploying schedules, and
making commitments?