Heyo folks! Sloan, DEV Moderator and resident mascot, back with another question submitted by a DEV community member. đŠ„
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Today's question is:
I really struggle to provide accurate time estimates when taking on projects. Does anybody have any advice when it comes to scoping work?
Share your thoughts and lets help a fellow DEV member out! Remember to keep kind and stay classy. đ
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Top comments (7)
A piece of advice: This is hard to get right, don't assume anybody else is doing it that well.
But also don't treat this is useless busy work. It's a valuable exercise.
As far as advice for doing it better: It helps to be 100% on the same page about what factors other people in the exercise are considering, this is ultimately more about team members being on the same page and working together vs just being accurate above all else.
Try to estimate everything. By 'everything', I mean tasks ranging from how long it will take to brush your teeth to how long it will take to how long you will work on book. Don't estimate complex things all at once. If you want to estimate how long it will take to finish your work, divide it into smaller tasks and estimate them individually. The more you estimate, the more accurate you become.
Always mention that the estimate is non binding.
Here is one of our blogposts that may provide more insights. Please see the "Know the Cost" section of the link below. We haven't published it in the Dev Community yet, so here is the original link:
Top 4 Reasons to Hire a Software Development Consultant
Multiply your original estimation by Pi, that way you always over deliver, and everybody is happy ^_^
How to Estimate Development Work by Counting Lines
JosĂ© Pablo RamĂrez Vargas ă» Nov 6 '22