Striving To Increase The Page Count Was: Estimation of the number of pages...

[Tony Markos <ajmarkos -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Purposefully high page counts happen often in TW
projects.  As I stated in a recent post, at a very
well attended local STC "discussion" meeting on
estimating, the almost universal consensus was that
estimating is to be based upon page count. My (sole)
attempt to challenge the sacred cow of estimating
based on page count was promptely cut off.    

Gene, when the "norm" in TW estimating is estimates
based upon page count, your going to get alot of TWs
striving for high page count (in an effort to appear
productive). In such situations, if you take the time
to make it clear, concise, and user-freindly - that is
short - you are only hurting yourself.  

Striving for high page counts is not a "may happen"
thing; from the TWs that I know - and I personally
know many - it very well might be a "usually happens"
thing. 

FYI: This is not just a TW issue by any means.  In
testing, a purposefully too-high number of test cases
is often the norm.  Ditto requirements engineering. 
And on and on.

Tony Markos
Show Me Your DFDs

--- Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> wrote:

The problem with your posts on this subject is your
assumption that because it may happen, it happens
"often."  As I have posted, I have seen it happen
myself, but I would not project industry-
wide frequency from that.  In fact, I would say I
seldom see it at all, except in instances where
writers are turning in the wind trying to figure out
some way to demonstrate productivity to some
non-writing manager who has no idea what they do. 
If you're a writer working under a competent
publications manager, this should never come up as an
issue at all.
 
>Gene Kim-Eng
 
 
 ----- Original Message ----- 
 From: "Tony Markos" <ajmarkos -at- yahoo -dot- com>
 
Managers do not strive for high page counts, but
most often they do not recognize what an acheivment
simple, straightforward tech comm is.  TWs often
strive
for high page counts to impress and avoid punishment.
> 



		
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