How do you estimate / quote programming times?

Hey, all!

I am looking for a very simple answer to a very complicated question. I have a TON of work ahead of me and my boss wants to know how long it will take to complete.

I have a very broad spectrum of parts that are all quite different from each other. I have heard that a general rule of thumb is you can apply "five minutes per touch". I have, at the end of a program, counted how many touches the CMM takes, and I can look at how long it took to me to program the part, and this rule of thumb, isn't that far off.

The problem is BEFORE programming, or putting in too much work, I would like a quick and easy method to arrive at a ballpark guess at programming time. I have lots of experience, and I can look at a part and give a ballpark estimate, but my boss wants a layman or someone who is not a CMM programmer to be able to look at a model of a part, and by feature count or some other metric, be able to determine how long it would take a CMM programmer to write a program. (approx.)

Anyone out there know a trick or rule of thumb that could help me out here? Thanks in advance!

TheWhiteSpider
PC-DMIS 2013
offline CAD++
NX/Unigraphics into .IGES files

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R2ah1ze1l over 9 years ago

I established an excel file once upon a time. Listed out all the different feature types and assigned times for each one. This time was based on taking ALL direct points and then performing constructions. I made a column for feature counts, then another column for patterned features. This allowed me to create a time buffer for things with patterns. It took a while to create and I based it originally on MY speed/skill set, then went back and modified it for the average of our group to give better estimates all around. If you work by yourself, this should be about a week or twos project to complete. Your boss will love you, and because you are creating it, you can add a slight buffer for your own protection.
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R2ah1ze1l over 9 years ago

I established an excel file once upon a time. Listed out all the different feature types and assigned times for each one. This time was based on taking ALL direct points and then performing constructions. I made a column for feature counts, then another column for patterned features. This allowed me to create a time buffer for things with patterns. It took a while to create and I based it originally on MY speed/skill set, then went back and modified it for the average of our group to give better estimates all around. If you work by yourself, this should be about a week or twos project to complete. Your boss will love you, and because you are creating it, you can add a slight buffer for your own protection.
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