Software time planning metrics

In software development we all need to planning the time correctly. I want to know what metrics you are using开发者_运维技巧 to planning time in all processes of software such as analysis, development, maintenance etc...

Sure there are some great articles that you could suggest or methodologies that you follow, could you please inform?

The bad news is that no... let's call it an "off-the-shelf" metric... will immediately give you good results. There are too many variables between development teams and too much variation in how different people may apply the metric.

The only way you can get good results in estimation is by taking steps to chain your estimates to reality. Estimates do not just fall in line with reality, they must be wrestled there. That means you must make estimates, compare the estimates to what really happened, and adjust your process for generating them appropriately.

For something more concrete, Joel on Software has a great article on Evidence-Based Scheduling which is worth a read. I don't necessarily think this is the "best" process but it's a starting point which is better than 95% of software teams ever achieve.

If you are interested in Agile methodology I found Agile Estimating and Planning a good read.