Estimating Editorial Tasks: A Five-Step Method

Accurate time estimates are essential to projecting the costs of doing work, whether it's for external clients or other departments within an organization. In the olden days, it didn't seem to matter how many hours were spent editing, as long as all the errors were caught. Now, managers everywhere are looking for ways to cut costs; they want to know in advance how long things will take so they can monitor their increasingly strained budgets. Publications are often a prime target for cost cuts.

Cormier, Robin A. STC Northeast Ohio (2001). Careers>Editing>Pricing>Estimating

Estimating Worksheet

An example worksheet for generating TC job estimates.

TECHWR-L. Resources>Workplace>Pricing>Estimating

The Meter is Running: Setting Consulting Rates for Independence  

Setting your billing rate can be one of the most difficult and mysterious aspects of operating a consulting practice. There are nearly as many approaches as there are practitioners, with results that range from consultants who price themselves out of the market to those who fold because they simply cannot make enough money to survive. By employing a straightforward business model that includes estimates for expenses, labor and, yes, profit, independent consultants, both fledgling and established, can establish billing rates that are fair to consultant and client alike.

Juillet, Christopher. STC Proceedings (2002). Careers>Consulting>Pricing>Estimating

Planning for Factors That Affect Project Cost  

Documentation projects often change to respond to changes or obstacles in the system development process. Sometimes, these changes increase project costs. However, as corporate budgets tighten, project managers are frequently asked to work within their original estimates despite the changes. To minimize these situations, project managers need to identify the factors that can increase the costs of a project, evaluate the chances of problems arising, and adapt the work plan and estimate to anticipate the problems that are outside of their control.

Fredrickson, Lola and Joyce Lasecke. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Management>Estimating

Selling Usability: Scope and Schedule Estimates  

Describes how to create an effective plan and estimate for usability activities. 'A plan and an estimate,' McDaniel writes, 'will go a long way toward persuading management that user-centered design is a desirable approach to building a user interface.'

McDaniel, Scott M. Intercom (2003). Articles>Usability>Planning>Estimating

A Stake in the Ground: A Successful Approach to Project Estimating and Tracking  

Project management is an increasingly important skill for technical communicators. Specifically, by accurately estimating and tracking projects we can help justify resources, identify areas to improve cycle times, or even justify the existence of jobs. Estimating projects occurs early in the process during the analyze and plan phases. It improves with practice. Tracking is done throughout the entire process, although a majority of the data are gathered during the development phase. Successful estimating and tracking includes these elements: identifying estimating metrics, projecting project life cycle costs and hours, recording actual hours and costs, comparing estimates to actuals, and documenting improvements based on experience.

Friend, Amy S. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Project Management>Planning>Estimating

Value of Value-Based Pricing: Should a Creative Professional Charge on an Hourly Basis, or a Project Basis? Here's the Answer

We creative professionals tend to be a right-brained bunch, harnessing our creative talents to create practical solutions for our clients. Creating pricing structures, estimates and invoices are not high on our enjoyment list. But we can avoid some common pitfalls and potentially unhappy clients by pricing our work based on project value rather than an hourly rate.

Stuart, Valarie Martin. Creative Latitude (2004). Careers>Freelance>Graphic Design>Estimating

You Want It When? Approaches to Estimating Documentation Development Time  

Accurately estimating documentation effort is vital to the success of every development project, yet project managers sometimes expect the documentation team to provide accurate estimates with a minimum of information. There are many tools and methods you can use to estimate documentation efforts. Frequently, a combination of methods is most effective. Finding the best method for your documentation assignment will enhance your stature as a communication professional and delight the project manager.

Auten, Kathlyn, Joan L. Kellogg Glenda Mesomboon and Bette H. Watson. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Documentation>Planning>Estimating