Why You Shouldn’t Care About How You Estimate
Estimates don’t matter at all. In the end, how stakeholders deal with estimates define your chances of success.
I’m shocked by the amount of false expectations generated by estimates. Unfortunately, many companies do not accept estimates as they are; imprecise by nature. Companies perceive numbers as a commitment. Once it’s estimated, it has to match that. If something needs to be re-estimated, it’s a sign of bad work. Why do we face so many troubles with estimates?
- Estimates are not commitments.
- Estimates do not represent a contract.
- Re-estimating is not a sign of incompetence.
It’s time to face the nature of estimates. Until companies accept estimates are not contracts, endless false expectations will be generated.
It Doesn’t Matter How You Estimate
It’s useless to spend time defining how to estimate better. It doesn’t matter if you use story-point, T-shirt size, or any other method. You can have the perfect estimate method ever, but how your stakeholders perceive the estimates matters the most.
I feel weird talking about estimates. If you look at the Cambridge Dictionary, it is clear what to…
