4 ms·
Yes it boils down to, if the person asking for estimates understands the problems with them, it's safe to try. With bad managers it's better not to give them as
by Scarblac 4y ago
Yes it boils down to, if the person asking for estimates understands the problems with them, it's safe to try. With bad managers it's better not to give them as they will be abused.
In the above case, I didn't get that time I would need, they wanted the estimate to include that time I would need to dig into it. But that's above my estimation powers. I didn't even know if what they asked was possible at all.
They went and asked someone else who did guess some number of weeks, but the work never got priority so we still don't know.
- magicalhippo 4y ago> they wanted the estimate to include that time I would need to dig into it Yeah that ain't gonna fly with me.
- mewpmewp2 4y agoDid you say what you are saying here? Did you say that 1) Without knowing further best case is it takes N time, worst case M time, and if there are certain obstacles it could be completely unfeasible. 2) To get more accurate time and to understand whether it's feasible I would need O time to figure that out first, and I can give you the more accurate estimate then.
- IIsi50MHz 4y agoThis seems unexpectedly optimistic, to me. I'd think: best case = it's already done; worst case = it's impossible, but we don't know that until we've spent too much time and money on it; the "certain obstacles" are almost always uncertain or completely unknown; and the "O time to figure out [how much time it will take] is also unknowable until the "figuring" is already complete. Now, if this were manufacturing with well-known processes, then I feel I could use your formula.
- Scarblac 4y agoYes, of course. To the bad managers it sounds like just yet another excuse, and they ask other devs until they find one who gives a number.