>Here is my partly tongue-in-cheek algorithm for estimating a software job. [double it, double it, etc...] hehehehe... my friend Colin Park has a rule: "move the estimate up to the next highest timescale and add three". so if someone says 2 days, it's 5 weeks. 3 months, that means 6 years. This is oldschool though and an abrogation of your job as a software designer. (add smileys to taste!) See <http://www.extremeprogramming.org/>, <http://refactoring.com>. These techniques really work in practical situations... /t <http://ax.to/fortune>.........a new fortune every minute. <http://FortNY.com>..................Forteans of New York.