4 ms·
It depends on the company, or more specifically on how the company manages the budget (people working on projects, infrastructure budgets, etc.). In many compan
by alentred 3y ago
It depends on the company, or more specifically on how the company manages the budget (people working on projects, infrastructure budgets, etc.). In many companies people would rather do the other way around: inflate their estimates to make sure that they definitely fit the reality later. This also often leads to continuously increasing budgets because or the corporate logic: “if you asked for budget but didn't use, then why did you ask for it’? So people would be actively looking for ways to spend any excess, to make sure that next time they will be trusted with their estimate, which in turn would likely be bigger than the previous one. Crazy, but true.
So, it can work both ways really.
- mmcgaha 3y agoI have worked with both types of managers and many in between. My perception is that the sandbagger tends to be more accurate and executives tend to respect them more. The problem for the sandbagger comes when the project is large enough to get multiple estimates and the sandbagger gets put on the spot to explain his estimate. Our current project was estimated by our former VP at 4X and an outside consultant estimated the project at X. The board called the VP in to explain why his estimate was so high. We are now well into the project and former-vp's estimate is reality and former-consultant is gone.
- Rury 3y agoThe reason for this perception is because, if you claim it would take 4X, but you finish it in 1X, or 2X, or 3X, you can just pretend to be still working on BS things, and then viola you're finished at 4X. Otherwise, if you claim it when you actually finished, which was earlier then estimated, you look like a rockstar for having finished early.