Courses, training products and other resources for learning about cost estimation.
Programs and Organizations (1)
- Groups, programs and organizations that focus on Education and Training.
AACE Cost Consultant Certification - AACE International's certification programs have been operated since 1976, and offer applicants who meet the eligibility requirements the ability to successfully take a test and attain certification through the Association. The specialty certifications currently offered include: CCC (Certified Cost Consultant) or CCE (Certified Cost Engineer), ICC (Interim Cost Consultant), Earned Value Professional (EVP), and PSP (Planning & Scheduling Professional).
Ask a Professor - Ask A Professor (AAP) is a Department of Defense resource for asking acquisition and logistics questions concerning policies and practices.
COCOMO II Workshop - This two or three day workshop introduces participants to the subject of software economics. Emphasis is placed on developing practical software cost and schedule estimating skills using the latest version of the popular COCOMO II model. Guidance is provided on how to use models to develop estimates, perform "what-if" analysis, bound risks and conduct a variety of trade studies. The seminar uses a variety of real-world examples and case studies to develop estimating skills, knowledge and abilities. Participants will leave the seminar fully prepared to use the COCOMO II model to develop or validate a software estimate.
EdistaLearning - EdistaLearning, QAI's initiative, is the elearning suite of Software Engineering and Quality Management courses. "The QAI & Dr. Pressman Series" in the Edista Learning portfolio has courses that draw upon Dr. Pressman's highly successful and the industry's most comprehensive video curriculum in software engineering—Essential Software Engineering. Course categories include, but are not limited to:
Software Engineering Process Approach
Software Project Management
Software Quality Management
Software Configuration Management
Software Testing
Software Estimation
CMMI
IT Services Management
Edista also offers/supports certification exams in most of these areas.
ISPA Certified Parametric Practitioner - Those applicants which successfully complete the examination at the Annual Conference will be granted the award of Certified Parametric Practitioner (CPP). Procedures to Apply for the Certification Examination Upon determination by an applicant that they are eligible the applicant must complete the Application for Certification Examination.
QSM Estimation and Project Control Courses - QSM offers three courses oriented to their SLIM cost model suite. The basic SLIM Estimate and Control course is a comprehensive 2-day course that covers QSM's SLIM (Software LIfecycle Management) methodology and its application to software project planning and software project tracking and oversight. The Estimate Express course is a 1-day course that covers QSM's SLIM (Software LIfecycle Management) methodology and its application to software project estimation and planning. The Template Building and Sizing course is a follow-on to the Basic SLIM-Estimate and SLIM-Control Course, this class focuses on customizing SLIM-Estimate and calibrating it to your environment. The 1˝-day course covers sizing techniques and building templates. Students may attend an optional ˝ day session to focus specifically on their environment and data. This course is offered at customer sites only.
r2Estimating - Founded by Michael Ross, provides tools and services to organizations making or buying custom software, increasing the percentage of software projects that are delivered on time and within budget. r2Estimator is the first software project estimating tool to offer interactive dynamic graphic displays, multiple model emulation, and Monte Carlo variability at all levels of the project hierarchy, and it includes common models such as COCOMO 81, COCOMO II, the Jensen model (the basis of SEER), and the NPR model (the basis of SLIM), as well as the ability to create your own customized model from your own datasets.
The company offers several courses on cost estimation, including fundamentals of software estimating and understanding software estimating models.
SCEA Cost Estimator/Analyst Certification - The Society’s Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst (CCE/A) program provides a professional credential to qualified SCEA members and nonmembers. The certification attests to the holder’s mastery of the basic concepts and methods comprising the cost estimating and analysis disciplines. Certified individuals 1) demonstrate nominal levels of training and work experience and 2) pass a written exam testing their knowledge and skills.
SEER For Software Workshops - The SEER for Software Core Workshop is intended for software project managers, cost estimators and development engineering staff who need to use SEER-SEM to develop and evaluate resource estimates for software development and maintenance project. The workshop covers the basic functions of gathering and assessing inputs such as software size, people, process and product in order to develop an estimate of project budget, staffing, schedule and risk.
Advanced Power User workshops are intended for those who have used SEER for Software to develop and evaluate estimates, and are ready to move to the next level in using SEER tools to support their projects.
Private SEER Workshops are for SEER customers who prefer to select the date and location for SEER workshops to ensure that their specific estimating and project planning concerns are addressed in a confidential environment. These workshops are priced on a per-event basis (including instructor travel expenses). Private workshops are typically more economical where multiple users can benefit from training.
Software Estimation in Depth - This course provides many useful rules of thumb and procedures for creating software estimates ("the art of estimation") and briefly introduces mathematical approaches to creating software project estimates ("the science of estimation"). This course features extensive lab work to give you hands-on experience creating many different kinds of software estimates--for large, medium, and small projects as well as calibrating estimates to be accurate for your specific development environment. You will learn techniques for making sure estimation is treated as an analytical rather than a political process, and you will explore how to negotiate effectively with other project stakeholders (such as marketing, management and your clients) so that everyone wins. This seminar is based on the best selling book Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art, by Steve McConnell. Two days.
STSC Extreme Software Cost Estimating Seminar Workshop - The Learning Objectives are:
• Provide workshop experience in the prediction and control of software development schedule and costs, including early recognition of potential problems and corrective measures.
• Provide experience in estimating the effective size and complexity of a software development task, including the effects of software modifications and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software. Size estimates will be made using source code and function point approaches. Methods for predicting software growth and its impact on software project risk are discussed.
• Use a software estimating case study containing a realistic scenario that exercises the major problems encountered in a wide range of software tasks. The case study provides data typically available to the estimator. The case study takes the student beyond data input and forces reasoning to resolve the estimating problem.
• Provide workshop experience in the prediction and control of software development schedule and costs, including early recognition of potential problems and corrective measures.
• Provide a means of calibrating developer capability and project environment.
• Discuss data collection and validation techniques to improve contractor performance metrics for calibration, proposal evaluation and negotiation.
TruePlanning Courses - PRICE Systems LLC offers the following software several software estimating courses, including the following:
True S - Software Project Planning and Control: This two-day course provides a basic instruction in the use of the True S catalog, a collection of predictive cost models designed by PRICE Systems. The course integrates lectures and exercises, featuring 50% "hands-on" training time. Real-world problems are used to challenge trainees and reinforce important concepts. The course provides the knowledge and skills required to use the True S catalog.
Fundamentals of Software Cost Estimating: This three-day class is designed to show participants how to estimate the costs and schedules of software development projects in order to avoid large overruns. The course presents practical techniques and tools to estimate, plan, and complete high quality projects that are on budget and schedule.
DACS Gold Practice Initiative
