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As always, it depends. On the product end of things a fixed price makes a lot of sense. Squeejee builds custom web applications...billing hourly for that is a
by JoelSutherland 18y ago
As always, it depends.
On the product end of things a fixed price makes a lot of sense. Squeejee builds custom web applications...billing hourly for that is a no brainer.
Much of everything else is a hybrid. I would expect that I could get a reasonably accurate estimate for painting my house based on the experience of a painter. With a fixed set of requirements and a familiar problem domain, I would think Squeejee could do the same.
- fendale 18y agoI think the major point was that, yes an experience developer can make a good accurate quote, but it needs the requirements to be nailed down and in fine detail before that quote really means anything. Being that most clients probably don't know what they want until they see it, accurate requirements are hard to find. More common these days are some user stories and lots of rapid iterations until the client is happy I guess.
- huherto 18y agoBut in most software projects there are a lot more variables than in painting a house.
- subwindow 18y agoThe house painting analogy fails because in software development, you only have a vague idea of how big the "house" is. No painter would give an estimate for painting a house, sight unseen, with only vague descriptors. But yet that's exactly what fixed-bid contracting is for software development.
- JoelSutherland 18y agoClearly the house painting analogy fails. All analogies do. My point was that the two extremes are fixed-bid and hourly. For the sake of a client, a programmer with some expertise should be able to give a reasonable estimate based on a set of requirements. I would say your house painter analogy fails as well. Fixed-bid contracting for software development is nothing like painting a house sight unseen, with only vague descriptors. Analogies aren't really the point though...