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These deliverables are usually tied to external events with lead times of their own like an ad campaign, new hire, funding, etc. Engineering teams that can mor
by awb 4y ago
These deliverables are usually tied to external events with lead times of their own like an ad campaign, new hire, funding, etc.
Engineering teams that can more accurately estimate their delivery dates add tangible value to their company.
- Aeolun 4y agoFor once it would be nice if they figured out those things can adapt to engineering time too, instead of the other way around.
- awb 4y agoAt good companies they do adapt to engineering timelines. But marketing (reasonably) wants to know if an app launch is 4 weeks away or 8 weeks away and what features will be included so they can plan their campaign accordingly. And then there are things that are immovable like a holiday or a legal deadline, where it’s helpful to know the progress and ETA as accurately as possible as early as possible.
- Swizec 4y agoAnd in case of hard/real deadlines, there is usually opportunity to say “We can’t do X, but can Y be good enough?”. Those are important conversations to have.
- Aeolun 4y agoI realize that, and I’m happy to give estimates. It’s when they expect me to estimate something that fits in the schedule they’ve already decided on that it gets iffy.
- awb 4y agoFor sure. Time and deliverables are the two concerns. Management can define one and engineering should define the other. If time is defined by management (ex. a Christmas sale), then engineering should estimate which features can be done by then. But I’ve definitely seen clients try to define both the timeline and the scope of work and that’s not a successful outcome for anyone.