>> I end up being responsible for the estimate I've given (as I should) You're not responsible for an estimate you give, the person who's asking for it is. Th

>> I end up being responsible for the estimate I've given (as I should) You're not responsible for an estimate you give, the person who's asking for it is. This is the key difference between an estimate and a commitment: If you give someone an estimate, they are responsible for steering the project using that information. If you give someone a commitment, you are responsible for meeting that commitment. This is why very few people actually want estimates. They want commitments, but they will ask for estimates to get an answer and then interpret them as commitments. Most people asked for estimates know this intuitively, thus "doubling and adding 10" and other communication strategies to turn estimates into safe commitments before they are communicated.