Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art (Best Practices (Microsoft))

21.7 Other Rules of Thumb

Here are some other rules of thumb that you can use for other planning issues:

• For administrative and clerical support, add 5% to 10% to the base effort estimate (Stutzke 2005).

• For IT support (lab setup, installing new software, and so on), add 2% to 4% to the base effort estimate (Stutzke 2005).

• For configuration management/build support, add 2% to 8% to the base effort estimate (Stutzke 2005).

• Allow for 1% to 4% increase in requirements per month (Jones 1998).

• To go from one-company, one-campus development to multiple-company, multiple-city development, allow for a 25% increase in effort (Boehm et al 2000).

• To go from one-company, one-campus development to international outsource development, allow for a 40% increase in effort (Boehm et al 2000).

• For first-time development with new language and tools compared to comparable development with familiar language and tools, allow for a 20% to 40% increase in effort (Boehm et al 2000).

• For first-time development in a new environment compared to comparable development with a familiar environment, allow for a 20% to 40% increase in effort (Boehm et al 2000).