Principles, Process and Practice of Professional Number Juggling Hardback

by Alan (Oregon State University, Botany & Plant Pathology, USA) Jones

Part of the Working Guides to Estimating & Forecasting series

Hardback

Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks

Description

Principles, Process and Practice of Professional Number Juggling (Volume 1 of the Working Guides to Estimating & Forecasting series) sets the scene of TRACEability and good estimate practice that is followed in the other volumes in this series of five working guides.

It clarifies the difference between an Estimating Process, Procedure, Approach, Method and Technique.

It expands on these definitions of Approach (Top-down, Bottom-up andâ€˜Etherealâ€™) and Method (Analogy, Parametric and â€˜Trusted Sourceâ€™) and discusses how these form the basis of all other means of establishing an estimate. This volume also underlines the importance of â€˜data normalisationâ€™ in any estimating procedure, and demonstrates that the Estimating by Analogy Method, in essence, is a simple extension of Data Normalisation.

The author looks at simple measures of assessing the maturity or health of an estimate, and offers a means of assessing a spreadsheet for any inherent risks or errors that may be introduced by failing to follow good practice in spreadsheet design and build. This book provides a taster of the more numerical techniques covered in the remainder of the series by considering how an estimator can potentially exploit Benfordâ€™s Law (traditionally used in Fraud Detection) to identify systematic bias from third party contributors.

It will be a valuable resource for estimators, engineers, accountants, project risk specialists as well as students of cost engineering.