This proprietary estimation tool developed by QA Mentor was created to provide a very detailed level of estimation for any testing project. Once filled out completely, the information can be used for future analysis and benchmarking.

The worksheet contains an informative section that explains how to use the estimation tool effectively. This section lists and defines the criteria for classification of test requirements into Simple, Average, or Complex. It also details the point system used, the factor and complexity weights, and how those are calculated to translate to Person Hours. It explains the scope of the tool, and that each testing round needs to be evaluated on its own, such as Sanity or Regression.

The effort summary and breakdown tabs provide tables and graphs that show effort utilization breakdowns in both simple and details ways. In the detailed section, each phase is broken down, and each breakdown has person hours associated with it. It also contains a list of assumptions used for the estimations and associated breakdowns.

The Test Estimation Effort Model (TEEM) tab gives classification criteria for requirements, weight of complexity, and adjustment factors that fully describe the point system used in the document.

Level of effort is broken up by various phases in order to provide a full and accurate estimation of the entire testing project, and gain insight into the estimation specifics of each phase.