Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How did you come up with this?
A: Planix leverages the best practices and concepts provided by estimation frameworks such as COCOMO (COnstructive COst MOdel), Function Point Analysis, and Use Case Points. We also use our experience and techniques as a boutique custom software development firm for estimating, planning, and negotiating application development. What we’re trying to do is make these concepts usable by and repeatable for everyone.
Q: Are the estimates your tool provides the whole story?
A: No. We’re currently focused on the application development portion of your initiative for now. That is, what’s it going to take for a team of programmers to build your vision and a functional testing team to test it. We’ve got insights on other parts of the process such as user acceptance testing, alpha releases, beta releases, configuration management, project management, deployment, and the like; we’ll share that insight in the future, but, for now, we’re primarily focused on tackling the central challenge of estimating development.
Q: Does this tool really work?
A: Yes. We’ve been using the principles behind this tool for over 3 years and have had success on the order of being within 5-20% of actual figures. The concepts behind this tool have been successfully used for over 20 years. However, as the saying goes, if garbage goes in garbage comes out. The keys are being able to articulate, at least at a broad level, your requirements for the application and being brutally honest about the project’s other influencing factors. You don’t need tomes of textual requirements to use the application, you just need to be able to articulate the high-level features (ideally use cases and user stories) and to make some assumptions about the complexity of those features.
Q: Isn’t this approach anti-Agile?
A: No, in-fact, we used early versions of this tool in conjunction with the Agile Manifesto to build this application. Furthermore, we used the application to really help in feature negotiation and prioritization. Additionally, the Agile Manifesto emphasizes the ‘uncertainty’ inherent in software development and developing strategies to manage that uncertainty. Planix, uses the ‘cone of uncertainty’ principle to provide estimate ranges which tighten as your project matures. At the end of the day, you must still answer the questions: “When will my software be ready; are we on track?”
Q: How can your assumptions about how long it takes to develop in one language versus another be accurate?
A: Development time assumptions have been calibrated through our own consulting projects and software development experiences. As you use the application, you will learn more about your teams and how fast they can develop in one language versus another. From there, you will be able to customize these assumptions through the administrative console.
Q: How do I represent my requirements?
A: The best way to do this is through use cases or user stories. The strength of both of these frameworks is that your teams can quickly and collaboratively articulate your customer’s requirements and begin to negotiate with them regarding priority and complexity. If you’re looking for recommendations on how to write effective requirements, we highly recommend Alistair Cockburn.
Q: Are you adding additional features?
A: Yes. We’ve already received early feedback and have a product roadmap in place. In the coming months, you’ll see some interesting features to help your teams manage their software development efforts.