The software industry is notorious for its poor estimates. For years, Code Complete's Steve McConnell has been trying to fix that. In Software Estimation, he's brought together all he's learned through teaching thousands of software professionals and building one of the world's leading software estimation tools. This is the definitive treatment: both formal techniques and crucial "rules of thumb.McConnell walks through sources of error, reveals common estimating pitfalls, and shows how to improve accuracy by using several methods to refine your projections. You'll learn how to "decompose" projects into smaller elements (for instance, modules instead of systems); and then recompose those elements into one coherent estimate.Next, he systematically addresses the challenges of estimating project size, effort, and schedule. Last but not least, you'll find realistic guidance on presenting estimates to management, and surviving those inevitable, dreaded negotiations.