ESTIMATION NOTEBOOK TEMPLATE
ESTIMATOR'S NOTEBOOK FOR <PROJECT ID> <NAME PROJECT>
Start Date of Estimating Process:
End Date of Estimating Process:
(Note: On completion of the estimating process, the Estimator's Notebook and any accompanying
documents and plans are to be transferred to the Project Control File).
Project Manager:
Estimator:
Relationship Manager:
Architect:
Application & Data Services Manager:
IT Operations Manager:
IT Services Manager
SECTION 1 - OVERALL APPROACH
Document the approach to the estimating task.

For example, for Rough Order of Magnitude Estimates the proportional method may be used

For Planning Estimates a bottom up estimate would be developed using the project schedule
and a second estimate would be developed using the proportional method, or one or more other
Top Down methods..

For Detailed Estimates, a bottom up estimate would be developed using the detailed schedule,
and one or more top down estimates could be used for comparison.
SECTION 2 - ESTIMATORS AND REVIEWERS
Estimators:
Reviewers:
SECTION 3 - DOCUMENTING THE ESTIMATE BASELINE
Entries should be made for the following:
Estimator's Notebook: Create an Estimator's Notebook, using this template as a guide.
Missing Data / Information: List anything which the estimators consider is necessary but missing for a
full and accurate estimate.
Completeness of Inputs: List any input items which are missing or deficient.
Requirements: Document the requirements which have been provided as input to the bid estimation.
Design: Document the estimator's understanding of the proposed design.
Design Assumptions: List all design assumptions.
Constraints and Risks: List any constraints on the estimate, and any identified risks for the proposed
project.
Unbounded Requirements: List any of these identified.
Estimate Assumptions: List any assumptions made in providing the estimate.
Work Products: List both the project and interim deliverables and other work products identified at this
stage.
Project Schedule Dates: Document the schedule dates for the project and any constraints on the
schedule.
Document any estimation reviews carried out
.
SECTION 4 - FIXING BASELINE PROBLEMS
The resolution of any problems encountered during the estimation process should be noted in this
section.
SECTION 5 - TAILORING THE ESTIMATING PROCESS
Estimating Techniques: List the techniques to be used in the estimate and the corresponding metric
types.
Agreement on Estimate Schedule: Document the estimate schedule.
Estimating teams: Document team members if more than one team is being used to construct the
estimate.
SECTION 6 - OBTAINING METRICS
Document the values of and the sources of the metrics to be used in the estimate, and the estimator's
opinion on their suitability and accuracy for this application.
SECTION 7 - PRODUCTION OF ESTIMATE
Each iteration of the estimation cycle should be documented in the Notebook.
SIZE: Determine the size measure to be used (Requirements, Function Points, Effective Source Lines of
Code, etc.) and document the size estimate.
WBS: Document the WBS used in the estimate, and any review of this process carried out.
Sized WBS Items: Document the units used and the resultant sized WBS items.
Variability: Document the variability attached to each WBS item.
Applying Metrics: Document the metrics applied to each WBS item and the resultant hours per labor
grade.
Staff Roles: Document in the Notebook.
Schedule of Effort and Staff profiles: Document the optimized schedule and profiles.
Grades/Levels Assigned to Roles: Document in the Notebook.
Populated Staff Profile: Optional process. List the names of proposed project staff.
Costed Labor Items: Document the resultant $ for each item.
Costed Non-labor Items: Document each costed non-labor item.
Total Raw Cost Estimate and Spend Schedule: Document the sum of the costed labor and non-labor
items and the schedule of project expenditure.
Updated Estimate Assumptions: As each process in the iteration loop is taken, document any changes
to the assumptions. On termination of the loop, document the Statement of Assumptions which will be
passed to the client.
Skeleton Plans: List the skeleton plans produced. These plans should be kept with the Notebook and
later transferred to the Project Control Book.
Estimation Summary Form: Summarize the estimate results below in the notebook. Complete the
Estimate Summary and Signoff Form, send to Project Office Manager, and transfer to the Project Control
Book. The actual measures at completion/delivery are reported and entered into the notebook.
Measure
Size (Measure)
Baseline
Planned
Actual
Estimate at Completion
#
#Hours
#Hours
#Hours
#Tasks
$
#
#Hours
#Hours
#Hours
#Tasks
$
#
#Hours
#Hours
#Hours
#Tasks
$
#
#Hours
#Hours
#Hours
#Tasks
$
Baseline
Planned
Actual
Projected Completion
Close
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
Requirements
Baseline Count
Changes
New Baselined
Volatility
#
#
#
(Changes/Baseline)
IT Effort Hours
Contract Effort Hours
LOB Effort Hours
Task Completions
Total Cost
Schedule
Initiation
Planning
Development/Test
Implementation
Baseline
Planned
Actual
Variance
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Total Labor Cost
$Total
$Total
$Total
$Total
Production Critical Computer Resources
Baseline
Planned
Actual
Variance
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$Total
$Total
$Total
$Total
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Labor Budget / Costs
IT Labor
LOB Labor
Contract Labor
Other
Mainframe (CPU)
Mainframe Memory
Hardware - Distributed
DASD
Network
Bandwidth
Software
Development Critical Computer Resources
Mainframe (CPU)
Mainframe Memory
Hardware - Distributed
DASD
Network
Bandwidth
Software
$Total
$Total
$Total
$Total
Mainframe (CPU)
Mainframe Memory
Hardware - Distributed
DASD
Network
Bandwidth
Software
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Production CCR Acquisition
Mainframe (CPU)
Mainframe Memory
Hardware - Distributed
DASD
Network
Bandwidth
Software
Order Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Install Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Pilot Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Production Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Development CCR Acquisition
Mainframe (CPU)
Mainframe Memory
Hardware - Distributed
DASD
Network
Bandwidth
Software
Order Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Install Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Pilot Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Production Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Certification CCR Acquisition
Mainframe (CPU)
Mainframe Memory
Hardware - Distributed
DASD
Network
Bandwidth
Software
Order Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Install Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Pilot Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Production Date
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
mm/dd/yy
Certification Critical Computer Resources
Verification & Validation
Process Assurance Reviews
Baseline
Planned
Actual
Variance
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
Project Planning
Product Assurance Reviews
Project Charter
Client Requirements
Audits
Client Requirements
SECTION 8 - RESOLUTION OF TEAM DIFFERENCES
If more than one team was used, document any significant differences between teams, and their agreed
resolutions.
SECTION 9 - CONTINGENCIES AND HANDLING
Document what contingencies and handling were used, and the rationale for their use.
SECTION 10 - FINAL COST ESTIMATE
Estimate Summary: Place a copy of the Estimate Summary (completed Project Estimate Summary and
Approval Form) in the Estimator's Notebook. Document any review of this process carried out.
ESTIMATION PLAN TEMPLATE
PRODUCT TEMPLATE -PROJECT ESTIMATION PLAN
For large projects or projects with complex estimation requirements, the Project Estimation Plan is used
to ensure that all required tasks for the project estimation process are scoped, planned, validated, and
documented. The estimation plan shall include the estimation approach and identify the information and
data required to perform estimation for the project. The plan shall include the estimation schedule and the
staffing required to perform the estimation effort.
Specifically, the estimation shall include the following sections:
ESTIMATION APPROACH
Indicate the number of estimation methods to be used to develop the estimates. Identify all required
methods.
Specify the threshold for agreement among the estimation results obtained from the different methods.
List the tools related to the selected methods that are to be used.
Summarize what information and data are required by the selected methods. List the expected source of
this information.
CONFIDENCE LEVEL/ACCURACY REQUIREMENTS AND VALIDATION APPROACH
Specify the desired confidence level for the estimates. Determine the formality and frequency of review
for the various types of estimates.
 For small projects, use a single, informal validation review after all estimates have been developed.
 For large projects, use a separate and more formal validation review after each type of estimate is
developed. Include multiple experts (e.g., application expert(s), estimation expert)
 For estimates requiring a high confidence factor, use an independent estimator. Define the role of the
independent estimator (e.g., specify whether estimator is to develop a separate estimate or is to review
the work of others).
Specify the quality criteria against which the estimates and the estimation process will be measured.
Adapt existing PAL estimation validations checklists to cover project-specific criteria.
SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF ESTIMATE
Specify the scope of the estimates (i.e., what is included and excluded in the estimates). State the
expected use of the estimation results (e.g., to facilitate a bid/no bid decision or to support a major life
cycle review) and the desired level of detail. Record all estimation task and results constraints (e.g., size,
effort, schedule and/or cost constraints).
INFORMATION AND DATA REQUIREMENTS
Identify the data and information to be used in developing project estimates and planned profiles. Include
the following:
 Marketing information and strategy summarizing time/schedule and budget for the job; Commercial
Off The Shelf (COTS) versus custom development; full featured versus bare bones system;
performance and quality objectives; and bid selection criteria
 Project characteristics and design information summarizing the application; system architecture and
design; development approach (e.g., waterfall, XAD); quality plan/strategy (e.g., testing approach,
performance modeling); proposed work products; and key skills required
 Project product/service categories
 Historical information and data for similar projects
 Subcontractor involvement
 Business unit personnel resource categories and rates per category
ORGANIZATION OF ESTIMATION TEAM
Specify the organization of the estimation team and define team member roles. Select the team members.
ESTIMATION NOTEBOOK STANDARD
The following table defines the necessity for the various sections of the Estimator’s Notebook:
Contents of the Estimator’s Notebook
Introduction: dates, office, staff identification
1. Overall approach from Operations manager
2. Estimators and reviewers
3. Estimate baseline
defn of system design or work statement being estimated
assumptions made for estimating
final work products
review (if required)
detailed breakdown, as per Appendix A
4. Fixing baseline problems
5. Tailoring the estimation process
6. Obtaining metrics
7. Production of raw costed estimate
WBS (as required for estimation purposes)
Sized WBS items
Variability
Applying metrics
Staff roles
Schedule of effort
Staff profile
Grades assigned to roles
Populated staff profile (if appropriate)
Costed labour items
Costed non-labour items
Total raw costed estimate
Spend schedule
Updated estimate assumptions
Skeleton plans
Review (if required)
8. Resolution of team differences (if more than two teams)
9. Contingency and handling
10. Final costed estimate
Final review
Required?
(M = mandatory)
(S = strongly
recommended)
(R = recommended)
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
R
S
S
M
M
M
S
S
S
M
R
R
R
M
M
M
M
M
R
M
M
M
M
M