re: standard time estimates for documentation projects

Subject: re: standard time estimates for documentation projects
From: Michael Oboryshko <obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 09:01:30 -0700 (PDT)


Lorraine Chapman wrote:
> I am looking for the "best practices" or "standards"
> that are used when estimating a writer's time for a
> documentation project. I seem to recall that most
> managers used the x# of pages/day/writer rule. Does
> this still hold true?

No, I haven't heard anybody talk about pages-per-day for a long
time. I don't think there are any widely accepted standards. But
lots of managers are wedded to methodologies and plans and
reports that depend on getting time estimates from everybody.
For documentation though, there are (usually) way too many
variables and unknowns.

What's more important than guessing your time up front is that
you are committed to getting the project done on time. In
management-speak this is called "time-box" planning and in my
opinion, is much better suited to documentation than the
"guess-your-hours" style of planning.

Mike O.



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