This isn't just down to humanity. Those contractors were just terrible at estimating.
There's a large difference between software and such rennovations. The reason software is so difficult to estimate is because it's a unique project virtually every time. We're never faced with the same circumstances, same requirements, same anything.
This is not true in other domains. In home renovations you aren't facing an infinite number of requirements or eventualities. There are a lot more standards, and a lot more common things. Sure, there will be differences but it's simply not in the same degree as with software.
There are similar domains in software. Consider a standard corporate identity website. These have no new challenges and can be estimated very well.
If somebody provides an estimate then they should be able to meet it. Failing to do so is simply bad service. If an estimate is not possible, as there is too much unique work to be done, then a contractor (in any field) should be upfront about that and give possibilities and options. In software the smartest approach here is to have release deadlines without a fixed feature set.
All this aligns with my experience as well. Uniqueness and changing requirements definitely play a big role. But I think that's not all the reasons. I'll write a second article soon with more comprehensive analysis about the reasons.
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This isn't just down to humanity. Those contractors were just terrible at estimating.
There's a large difference between software and such rennovations. The reason software is so difficult to estimate is because it's a unique project virtually every time. We're never faced with the same circumstances, same requirements, same anything.
This is not true in other domains. In home renovations you aren't facing an infinite number of requirements or eventualities. There are a lot more standards, and a lot more common things. Sure, there will be differences but it's simply not in the same degree as with software.
There are similar domains in software. Consider a standard corporate identity website. These have no new challenges and can be estimated very well.
If somebody provides an estimate then they should be able to meet it. Failing to do so is simply bad service. If an estimate is not possible, as there is too much unique work to be done, then a contractor (in any field) should be upfront about that and give possibilities and options. In software the smartest approach here is to have release deadlines without a fixed feature set.
All this aligns with my experience as well. Uniqueness and changing requirements definitely play a big role. But I think that's not all the reasons. I'll write a second article soon with more comprehensive analysis about the reasons.