STARWEST 2006: Test Estimation: Painful or Painless?

As an experienced test manager, Lloyd Roden believes that test estimation is one of the most difficult parts of test management. In estimation we must deal with destabilizing dependencies such as poor quality code received by testers.
Lloyd presents seven powerful ways to estimate test effort. Some are easy and quick but prone to abuse; others are more detailed and complex but may be more accurate. Specifically, Lloyd discusses FIA (Finger in the Air), Formula or Percentage, Historical, Parkinson’s Law v. Pricing-to-Win estimates, Work Breakdown Structures, Estimation Models, and Assessment Estimation. Spreadsheets and utilities will be available during this session to help you as tester or test manager estimate better. By the end of this session you should feel that the painful experience of test estimation could, in fact, become a painless one.

• Uncover common destabilizing dependencies
• Learn how to communicate your estimates (and what they really mean) to senior management
• Discover the appropriateness of each of these methods to your work