Joe Makes a Slight Comeback


Having had a bit of crow somewhat inelegantly jammed down my throat, I figured I'd use my years of being late on software projects to good advantage. I'd show that recycled roustabout he didn't know everything.

"Actually, Roscoe," I said calmly, "there isn't just one estimate. There's an initial estimate at the beginning of the project. Then, when you get partway in, you make another one. In fact, you make estimates of your time-to-completion all the way along. So what you really need to tell people, at any point in time, is how late you are going to be based on the latest estimate. Because, after all, the latest estimate includes everything you know up to that point."

"You got a point, Sonny," retorted Roscoe. "And I'll tell you another thing. Them estimates had better be getting more accurate as you move along. For two reasons: One, you are learning more and getting smarter as you go, and two, there is less left to do. At the start, you have lots of uncertainty and lots to do. On the other hand, you do have more time to recover from your mistakes. Let me think about this a little bit more."

I counted that round as a draw. Roscoe finished his coffeeblack, no sugarand somewhat aggressively stamped out his stogie. I could tell I had given him something more to think about. It was also clear that he was having a tough time figuring out why estimates for software projects were so much more slippery than those for other projects he had managed in previous lifetimes.




The Software Development Edge(c) Essays on Managing Successful Projects
The Software Development Edge(c) Essays on Managing Successful Projects
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2006
Pages: 269

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