Empirical Laws and Rules of Thumb

Abstract

This chapter will summarize the quantifiable experiences and wisdom that the two authors collected in their (combined) over fifty years of practical software engineering. Believe it or not: We have measured all the way over these fifty years!. Knowing that it is often difficult to just use plain numbers to characterize a situation, we are also aware that beginners and practitioners need some numbers to build upon — even if their applicability is somewhat limited. We will therefore provide in this chapter concrete and fact-based guidance with numbers from our own experiences so you can use it as a baselines in your projects.