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>I am trying to estimate/budget time required for doing online documentation
>and paper manuals.
>Please, will you share your rules of thumb and lessons learned?
>Thanks!
>Bill Marshall
>marshallw -at- bv -dot- com
I am replying to the list as my most important lesson/tip seems frequently
ignored.
ALWAYS try to break down the task into increments. Ideally, the increments
should be sections such that if your customer/boss decides on having you do
more (almost inevitable) you can point out that this is an addition and more
money/time/supplies are required.
Years ago I bid a job in that way for a catalogue of software. The initial
job was described as having 40 programs to test and describe. By the time of
publication of the first edition, there were about 125 and I was thanking my
lucky stars for a suspicious nature.
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