One off the elements in SOA projects is estimating the cost. In classical Designer/ Developer projects we use function points to estimate cost (#function points * hours per point). In our current SOA projects we are using our experience from earlier SOA projects and we are using Scrum. The interesting point off Scrum is that the team makes a relative estimation off storypoints, use cases or requirements. After this relative estimation the storypoint, use case or requirement that is most clear is estimated into hours based on past experience. The rest is than calculed from that reference point. This method is good emperical approach and is fun because we are using planning poker.
Today I found an interesting article on how much will your SOA cost from David S. Linthicum. His method is a good indication for the total cost. During the realization phase I will use scrum to determine the productivity of the team and to manage the expectations of the client.
March 29th, 2007 at 16:08:07
The big benefit of scrum is the way you achieve your estimations. It’s a group process: every developer, tester, etc, is involved, so you get better insight in the complexity of a story. Also, estimating in hours is difficult, comparing the complexity of different userstories is leading to better estimations.
But most important of all, planning in Scrum is a continuous process, not a one time activity. Estimations are redone continuously, meaning that you can improve your estimation based on better information.