Estimation myths debunked
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Estimations are important for planning, budgeting, and communicating with clients. However, they are inherently uncertain since there are often unknown variables that can impact timelines. The document provides guidance on how to estimate tasks and projects in a way that accounts for this uncertainty. Key recommendations include doing research, asking others for input, using techniques like planning poker, adding buffer time to estimates, and being transparent about risks and potential delays. The goal is to provide useful information to clients while also setting appropriate expectations about the limitations of estimates.
Estimation myths debunked
- 1. Estimations brought by Małgorzata Szweda, Blaze Hadzik, Magdalena Sitarek &
- 2. what is an estimation? estimation noun es·ti·ma·tion ˌes-tə-ˈmā-shən : a judgment or opinion about something : the act of judging the size, amount, cost, etc., of something : the act of estimating something : a guess about the size, amount, cost, etc., of something
- 3. why estimate? there is one truth: all clients love estimations they mostly think: you have knowledge, you’ve done that before, that’s piece of cake, isn’ t it?
- 5. so... how to do it well? is that even possible???
- 6. spoiler! estimation is a well- informed guess you’re guaranteed to do it wrong from time to time
- 7. be prepared! do your research know what you want to use ask around
- 8. the golden rule From The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master: What to Say When Asked for an Estimate You say "I'll get back to you." You almost always get better results if you slow the process down and spend some time going through the steps we describe in this section. Estimates given at the coffee machine will (like the coffee) come back to haunt you.
- 9. who should estimate? not the client not a dev that isn’t you you
- 10. planning poker group estimation different experiences broader idea of time needed
- 11. case study Client thought of a new feature and asked me to estimate on the call. What do I do? never estimate unexpected things on a call! ask for some time for research
- 12. case study Client thinks he knows better and tells me I can do it faster. What do I do? explain why you think it’s not correct work with your PM if s/he’s right you finish faster if s/he’s wrong there can be a delay
- 13. case study Lead dev from the client’s team estimated the ticket for me and it’s wrong. What do I do? communicate it’s possible you won’t make it they insisted and you ran out of time - explain why work with your PM so you can estimate instead
- 14. how to estimate features? make sure you know what needs to be done remember that you need to write tests remember about code review there WILL be problems
- 15. how to estimate features? feature = planning + actual work + tests + code review + bugs-that-never-happen-but-sometimes-do
- 16. how to estimate features? add some padding! the Blaze Time Tax = 1.75
- 17. DOs ok, so here we are… 1) Gather requirements (ping pm/ client if needed) and do your research (mockups, APIs, edge cases...) 2) Ask when in doubt and explain when something’s amiss 3) There is always room to screw up and for things to go wrong - add padding 4) Track elapsed time and learn from past experiences 5) Ask around - check with others / internet / seniors / grandma / PM / 6) Use more than one method to arrive at an estimate, and look for a midpoint among all of them.
- 18. DON’Ts 1) Never estimate during the call !! 2) Don’t let anyone estimate for you 3) Don’t estimate without checking that you have everything
- 19. why we fail sometimes... 1. The presence of hidden or unknown variables that are difficult or impossible to anticipate, and sometimes even more difficult to resolve. 2. Our often-idealistic views of our own capabilities. We frequently believe that we can achieve much more than is possible in the available time. 3. A strong human desire to please other people by telling them what they want to hear. (After all, who wants to be the bearer of bad news?)
- 20. how to estimate bugs? Don’t. No, seriously - DON’T. But if you have to: some bugs can’t be estimated - they need a no-idea label if your guess was wrong - explain why you need more time
- 21. how to estimate projects? that might surprise you, but… you usually don’t work 8h a day
- 22. how to estimate projects? that might surprise you, but… you usually don’t work 8h a day :) how come? 9am 11am 1pm 3pm 5pm help reqlunch email checking call email checking
- 23. and finally... always think of the worst case scenario
- 24. and finally... always think of the worst case scenario … and then add even more time :)
- 26. responsibility What am I responsible for?
- 27. responsibility Let your client know in case of delays & blockers
- 30. responsibility The missing feedback loop we want to have.
- 31. Cases The API that has just been updated. The integration no one knows about. The project you don’t know about.
- 32. Cases The client changes requirements. The client is too cool. The client asks you how long sth would take on a call.
- 33. Questions? ask us now! :) fill in the evaluation survey and share your feedback