I think as software developers we are collectively ignorant about the estimation accuracy possible in other engineering disciplines. Every time we talk about es

I think as software developers we are collectively ignorant about the estimation accuracy possible in other engineering disciplines. Every time we talk about estimating software we point out it isn't analogous to building a bridge or a car and we try to reason about why that is. Both of my parents are engineers in several different areas (road, civil, and HVAC engineering). Through talking to them I realized that their projects and estimates are always off and by similar margins as the softare projects I've been involved in. I'm not sure why that is, but people just seem to generally suck at estimating engineering activities. With software I think the problem is more pronounced because the engineering phase so dominates the cost of construction. If designing a bridge takes longer and costs more than what you expected it really isn't such a big deal because actually building it is much more costly and delay-prone. The people financing the project won't have a hard time absorbing the cost associated with incorrect engineering estimates. Quite clearly the situation when it comes to software is different.