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SCHEDULING REVISITED

by George Martin

Start ı Experience Required? ı An Example ı Requirements ı Estimating ı User Interface ı Breaking it Down ı Sources and PDF

I certainly hit a nerve with the scheduling article a couple of months ago. I had many replies and comments about the article, which was unusual because I donıt write these in a manner that will prompt a reply. However, the comments ranged from, "Great timing! Iıve got to show this to the boss today" to "Well, itıs about time someone put in writing what the real world is like." So I thought Iıd try discussing the next step and make up a detailed work estimate and schedule.

Scheduling is especially difficult when youıre trying to schedule work that you have never done before. For example, I just installed a network on my old DOS machine. I expected eight hours of work spread out over a week. I spent more time looking for the power adapter for the hub than installing the network. Less than two hours total! But, this is a perfect example of a scheduling assignment.

I had network experience with Windows 95/98. The folks who I share office space with attempted the same task a couple of months ago, and I took notes. I used this information for my estimate, but it took less time. Thatıs always a pleasant surprise. If I didnıt have part of the network running or know of my neighborıs experiences, I might have taken more time and been closer to my original estimate.

But, now Iım trying to add a printer to the network. Iıve spent about three hours a day for the last four days, and Iıve gotten nowhere. I called the shop that I get my equipment from, and they said they didnıt have any trouble with this sort of installation. No magic required. I tried the installation once more and it worked. All systems recognized the printer. My point is, how do you schedule this? Well, my original estimate wasnıt that far off after all.

The crux here is to make estimates, record your actual hours, and verify your accuracy. Keep repeating this on all your estimate efforts and youıll improve your estimating ability.

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