Determine the Size of the Project
Since most time estimates are done per page (for example, four hours per page), you need to have some page count before you try to estimate the job. This is the most daunting part of estimating.
Count the Easy Pages
To determine page count, start by breaking the project into the sections that make up most projects:
- Front matter (cover sheet and copyright page)
- Table of contents, list of figures, list of tables
- Overview
- Installation
- Setup
- Descriptions of keys and functions
- Operation
- Troubleshooting
- Index
- Back matter
- Other information specific to your project or company
Each of these sections requires at least two pages, so you’ve got an estimate of 20 pages before you’ve gotten into any detail. (By the way, in my experience, a page takes the same amount of time to prepare despite its size, whether it’s 5½ x 7 or 8½ x 11.)
From these sections, break down the project into subsections and start a rough outline. Identify as many things as you can that need to be explained. Try to determine how many pages you will need to describe each item in the outline. For example, you can figure a paragraph each for each switch, potentiometer, and wiring terminal. Are there keypads? You’ll need a page just to show and label the keys, and additional pages to describe the function of each key.
Count the Variable Pages
Gather as much information as you can about the project. This includes preliminary mock–ups, engineering and marketing specifications, sales literature, and verbal descriptions. If the product is a new version of a project, see how much literature was needed for the previous version.
Use this information to help determine more about the length of the manual. Consider:
- Who’s the audience? For example, for a novice audience, you might need to spend more pages on introductory and background material. For an experienced audience, you might need more time to learn the technology.
- If this is a new version of a manual, how much longer (or shorter) will it be than the last one? How much of the manual will need to change?
- How long does your boss expect this manual to be? The engineering manager? The engineer The marketing guy? See where your estimate and their estimate differ, and try to determine if there are factors that they are considering that you need to include in your estimate.
- What’s the time frame of the project? You can’t complete a brand–new, 100–page manual if you only have sixty hours to work on it (well, maybe you can, but your quality will suffer).