If you need to explain the basic principles of forecasting to someone, ask them if they have ever worked on a software project. If so, they already know the basics of forecasting: everyone who has worked on one has estimated tasks. Everyone needs estimates. Your customers need them to plan and control when they will start to use the results of your project. The project manager needs estimates to understand the scope, amount of work, and approximate costs for individual tasks or an entire project.
Estimation is beneficial in several areas, such as the following:
- Understanding work structure: Break down a task into multiple subtasks to view the main steps that you need to complete.
- Understanding complexity: While it is hard to estimate a complex task by itself, estimating each individual part of the work structure is simpler. It allows you to...