Analogous estimating is a project estimation technique that relies on historical data from previous projects to predict the duration, effort, or cost of a current project. Analogous estimating is a quick and less detailed form of estimation, and it is particularly useful in the early stages of a project when detailed information is limited$.$

Let's say you are tasked with estimating the development effort for a new software project. You find that a similar project, with comparable functionality and technology, was completed in the past. That project took six months to complete, and the team consisted of five developers. In the current project, there are some differences. It is larger in scope and involves more complex features, so you adjust the estimate upward to account for these factors. You might estimate that the current project will take eight months with a team of seven developers. In this example, the six$-$month duration and five$-$developer team from the historical project serve as the basis for the analogous estimate, and adjustments are made based on the identified differences in scope and complexity. This provides a quick and preliminary estimate for the current project's development effort.