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Imagine you've lost your keys. You've already looked everywhere for them. Now how long will it take you to find them? This what software estimation feels like t
by abainbridge 10y ago
Imagine you've lost your keys. You've already looked everywhere for them. Now how long will it take you to find them? This what software estimation feels like to me. Simple tasks regularly turn into "find out why this simple code doesn't work". From there, you have no idea whether the solution will come in minutes, weeks, months or never.
It is still usually necessary to at least try to estimate as well as we can. And the higher level the task, the more the "detailed crap" averages out. But it is still not easy. And delivering software on time is usually as much about changing the spec as it is about doing the coding.
- adrianratnapala 10y agoI don't even know that "detailed crap" averages out, because crap happens at all scales. For example: we launched into an embedded project and were ticking along nicely, and suddenly discovered that we actually had to program a whole extra device, which we had thought came with all built-in firmware.
- ktRolster 10y agoYou need to increase your estimate to deal with such uncertainties. Don't think of it as "task will be finished at exactly time X," instead think of it as, "95% sure that task will be finished before time X." Give yourself padding so you can finish comfortably.