latest post: Software estimation that doesn't suck
You've been asked to give an estimate about when you're gonna be able to ship some code. Fine fine, except that there's something riding on this… a trade show, seasonal deadline, etc. Point is: there's another part of the business depending on you doing a good job here.
But software estimates are notoriously inaccurate, to the degree that people frequently double or halve them depending on what they think of the team. Think about that for a sec: a change of 50% in either direction based solely on personal factors. Absolutely wild.
Part of that is that software engineers have a weird aversion to figuring out how to do better here. As a result, a lot of people never get better than off-the-cuff "I can knock that out in a week" style estimates, and develop a reputation for being inaccurate. These skills are worth learning, though, if only because giving useful estimates means that you have the time you need to do the rest of your job correctly! You can also build credibility as someone who understands how to navigate complex systems, and end up with more of a say in the processes you're a part of.
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