Principles, Process and Practice of Professional Number Juggling

1 Introduction and objectives

I guess the most inappropriate way to begin a book on estimating is with the words ‘I guess…’, but then that’s what many people think estimating is all about … guessing, but it’s not, there’s a lot more to it. (I have to say that otherwise this series of books will have been a waste of time.) There is also an impression given by some that ‘anyone can estimate’, which at its most basic level is true; anyone can estimate, and everyone does! We all do it in our daily lives, at work, at home, on the move, but what does it take to be a professional Cost Estimator? The answer to that is Subject Knowledge, Technique, Data… and broad shoulders because there will be plenty of other people, who aren’t estimators, who will ...