Do you find it challenging when a PM, client or manager asks you how long it will take to complete something?

Sure, we have models, estimators, a wet finger in the air, SWAGs, and WAGs.

Most of the time you don’t have enough information, or when you do think you have enough, something new is inevitably going to come up.

So we put some contingency in to account for the unknowns.

But how much? 10, 20, 100%

If you have dependencies on other people to get their work complete and they’re constantly a bottleneck.

Then what?

Then there’s saying a number too low, you end up stressing yourself out – “what was I thinking?”

Or, saying a number too high, and you get scrutinized – “there’s no way it takes that long.”

Or when you do provide a number – “sorry, that won’t work, can you bring it in?”

Sometimes, the person asking already has a number in their head, and now it’s just a test of: how psychic are you?

The joys of estimating…