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> like if Steve says he needs just one more day, he always means he needs five more days. So if suddenly Steve says he needs another week, then I know he probab
by okdood64 4y ago
> like if Steve says he needs just one more day, he always means he needs five more days. So if suddenly Steve says he needs another week, then I know he probably needs over a month.
That is a beyond frustrating even if you have gotten used to adjusting the time in your head. It also probably means it affects other work that Steve is doing and his sanity. (Steve thinks he'll finish Task A in a week, and has already allocated time for Task B in a week's time, but he's not even close to finishing Task A a week later, and now he has to work on both at the same time. Which is fine, we're all expected to multi-task, but if he constantly isn't prepared for this then it's not sustainable.)
In these scenarios do you talk to Steve about what is up with his estimation skills and time management?
- pizlonator 4y agoIt’s usually not person-specific but domain-specific. Like, I’m really good at memory management but whenever I go to write a new malloc or GC I somehow convince myself that I’ll Carmack it in a weekend. And then it takes five months. But if I write a compiler then I’m usually one of those precise estimators. If I tell you a month then it’ll be a month. So, I don’t try to talk to the Steve as if he’s the problem. He’s not the problem. The problem he’s solving is the problem. (Or maybe I just make that excuse for Steve because as I said, I’m a Steve.)
- pizlonator 4y agoRight. Requirements staying constant is not a requirement for estimates to be accurate because when requirements change it’s customary to ask for a new estimate.