Boehm, Barry W. Software Engineering Economics. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1981. This monumental book contains a thorough discussion of software estimation and scheduling, which is presented in terms of Boehm's COCOMO cost-estimation model. Because the book contains so many equations, graphs, and tables, it can look overwhelming, but most of the data Boehm presents is provided for reference purposes, and the part of the book that you actually need to read and understand isn't as long or complicated as it first appears. Papers on an updated version of COCOMO have begun to trickle out. One is "Cost Models for Future Software Life Cycle Processes: COCOMO 2.0" (Boehm et al. 1995). Be on the lookout for an update to the material in Boehm's book sometime soon.

DeMarco, Tom. Controlling Software Projects. New York: Yourdon Press, 1982. Part III of DeMarco's book (Chapters Chapter 15 through Chapter 18) describes several software estimation models or "cost models." In the schedule tables in this chapter, I describe the assumptions that went into the schedules, but I don't describe why the assumptions affect the schedules the way they do. DeMarco explains why various factors affect software projects' costs and schedules. In complexity, his explanations are about halfway between the explanations in Boehm's book and the ones in this chapter.

Putnam, Lawrence H., and Ware Myers. Measures for Excellence: Reliable Software On Time, Within Budget. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Yourdon Press, 1992. Somewhat less daunting than Boehm's book, Putnam and Myers's book also presents a full-fledged software-project estimation methodology. The book is mathematically oriented, so it can be slow going. But I think it's worth the price just for Chapter 14, "A Very Simple Software Estimating System," which explains how to calibrate a simple cost-estimation model to your organization and how to use it to estimate medium to large projects. It discusses the phenomenon of lengthening a schedule slightly to reduce a project's cost, and it describes manpower-buildup patterns, including the Rayleigh curve.

Jones, Capers. Assessment and Control of Software Risks. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Yourdon Press, 1994. Although not specifically about estimation, this book contains discussions that relate to the topic. Of particular interest is a useful outline of the components of a typical estimate in Chapter 43, "Lack of Reusable Estimates (Templates)."

Gilb, Tom. Principles of Software Engineering Management. Wokingham, England: Addison-Wesley, 1988. Gilb provides practical advice for estimating software schedules. He puts a different emphasis on estimation than other authors, focusing on the importance of controlling the project to achieve your objectives rather than making passive predictions about it.

These three books contain complete discussions of function-point analysis.

Dreger, Brian. Function Point Analysis, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1989.

Jones, Capers. Applied Software Measurement: Assuring Productivity and Quality. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991.

Symons, Charles. Software Sizing and Estimating: Mk II FPA (Function Point Analysis). Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons, 1991.