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Subject:Re: Hours/page estimates with explanation From:Jason Willebeek-LeMair <jlemair -at- ITEXCHSRV2 -dot- PHX -dot- MCD -dot- MOT -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 12 Mar 1999 09:20:40 -0700
While it is good to start with "standard" numbers as these, it is best to
develop your own hours/page estimates by tracking your projects and basing
the estimates on your historical data. This can be YOU personally, as an
employee or contractor, or YOU as in your department.
Every environment is different. Your technical reviews may take twice as
long as another company's due to regulatory requirements. Your development
and planning may take half the time due to good specs from the developers.
Hell, you may only be able to type 5 word a minute.
So, while these "standard" numbers may be a good starting point, I would not
use them as set-in-stone estimates.
Jason
<snipped stuff>
*New manuals
8 hours/page for first 75 pages (including art)
4-8 hours/page for remaining pages
or
3-5 hours/page
2 hours/graphic for simple line art
1-2 hours/screen capture
*Substantive revision of existing manual
1-3 hours/page for text
1-2 hours/graphic for art
*Light editing of existing manual
10-20 minutes/page for text
1/2-1 hour/graphic for art
*Indexing (all tasks)
5 pages per hour
*Online documentation
2 hours/screen
or
3 hours/screen for graphics-intensive screens
*Production
5 percent of all other activities
