3 ms·
This. It strikes me as odd these days when managers and engineers assume symmetrical distribution of time required to complete tasks. This is not only relevant
by jakubp 9y ago
This. It strikes me as odd these days when managers and engineers assume symmetrical distribution of time required to complete tasks. This is not only relevant in software development: in my experience, the larger the organisation or set of people/departments involved in any kind of work, the heavier the time distribution is on the "late" side.
- slavik81 9y agoThat was one of the things that burned us once we finally got our task estimates accurate. Most tasks would be finished in about the time estimated, but one would be off by a factor of ten and blow the iteration. We discovered that for estimates to be accurate overall, most tasks need to be finished early. It's counterintuitive, but it's directly the result of that asymmetric distribution.
- zby 9y agoIf you are systematically under-estimating (as most novice estimators - people tend to be optimistic) - then you can calculate how much you usually under-estimate and then adjust.