4 ms·
Early in my career, when I was young and naive, I used to spend an inordinate amount of time coming up with the perfect estimate. I could pretty well get it dea
by 9rx 2y ago
Early in my career, when I was young and naive, I used to spend an inordinate amount of time coming up with the perfect estimate. I could pretty well get it dead on nearly all the time, at the cost of wasting a stupid amount of time to determine it.
I soon noticed that it only ever lead to "okay, thanks" from whomever made the requested and that was the end of it. So now I just pick a random number. I still get "okay, thanks" and nothing changed.
Nobody really cares. It turns out it is just something people ask when they are uncomfortable with silence, but can't think of anything else to say.
- variaga 2y agoThat tracks. Frequently what people learn about estimating is to optimize out steps 1 and 2 and just make the estimate match the need-by date from the beginning.
- scott_w 2y agoMy favourite joke whenever I tell people I make up estimates is “I’m completely wrong but I’d rather spend 30s and be wrong than 3h and still be just as wrong.”
- Eddy_Viscosity2 2y agoThe managers are just putting that number into a spreadsheet which then gets combined with other spreadsheets and given to an upper level of management which does the same. When I get asked for estimates I always ask what number would work best for them and then say that. You'd think I'd get a pushback on that approach, but I don't.