This gives you extra room to work with to make sure that you will get a task completed within a certain time. Another increasingly common one: I didnt get to it. (No excuse given; they just didnt do it.) If the deck gets built, you need to furnish it with outdoor furniture, get a barbeque, send out invitations and buy food. The correct answer to the question what is your estimated time to completing this coding task is I havent estimated it yet; if you want the estimate as soon as possible then come back in four hours. Small tasks - Planning poker I've found to work really well (not perfect, some 1pt tasks have taken much longer and some 5pt tasks took minutes, but it all evens out in the end). Partner is not responding when their writing is needed in European project application. (Before or After? What can I do to get better at estimating how long projects are going to take? Welcome to Grammarhow!We are on a mission to help you become better at English. Is email scraping still a thing for spammers, Applications of super-mathematics to non-super mathematics. I appreciate how patient youve been. As a freelance consultant, she also supports companies and executives in overcoming communication challenges. Get more granular and identify the substeps of each part. And then instead of answering with "2 Months", you can answer with "sounds like an L to me" (or whatever your calibration for project turns out to be). What matters is that you were 3 days off from a one week estimate. But, since the Requirements aren't written yet, I will be able to provide a more precise estimate once I read them." Its so easy nowadays to blow off technology. "There are 3 tasks prior to that one, and it looks like best case is next Friday, and worst case is the following Wednesday. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. A simple way to get that is to have a factor that is a percentage of the completion, that you use to tweak the estimated remaining time. "I don't know. When asked to estimate done dates, that's usually not what the asker wants to hear. Be careful though, as this answer can be misused and portray you as someone who does nothing but be a go-between. A PM will hear this as your answer to when will it be done: "### #### # #### ## 3 months ### #### ## #####". If the boss says" how much time do you need to write a cash register program, say "30 hours assuming target is standard Windows environment with standard Java libraries"" An estimate is not a commitment, so a minor error shouldn't be too problematic. Understand the user-end requirement here, think like a user. 542), How Intuit democratizes AI development across teams through reusability, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Because I have been on the job hunt, I believe I will soon have an offer. There are occasions in life both business and social when you need a deadline. doesn't always mean "Hurry up." Contact Michael to find out what time hes going to be able to upload this. In todays office, its just a fact: People blow off deadlines. Lastly, your second idea (average over the last n seconds) attempts to measure the instantaneous speed. Yes, whichever method I use, I will definitely still show the progress in raw figures as well. It's a weather forecast. Explain. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. tl;dr: I want to predict file copy completion. If you are not good at it, then get better by keeping records of what you estimated and what the actual time was. Its not the best target time, but its going to have to do. Its not going to be completed by the original time we stated. Another good strategy that worked for me is to split a project into stages. Thats about all we can cope with. by accurate I mean that a stakeholder holds you accountable for. How long is acceptable to wait for a text? Because I have some sort of bizarre mental block that makes me think everything sounds like it'll two weeks. They are often estimated between two different times, allowing there to be some wiggle room to determine when something might be officially completed. . . Make it broad. Human nature sometimes makes it hard for us to ask for things. When asked about a completion date, what is the best way to say "it will be done when it is done"? The requirements are unclear. Many thanks! Or to specific risks? Check your schedule. So if it is like 5 months project you should be estimating it for a month or more. View Syllabus. Improve estimated completion time via better algo/filter etc. That's bad advice, and a poor approach to these things. Having said that, "When will you be done?" I dont think thats going to work at all! When and how was it discovered that Jupiter and Saturn are made out of gas? Rename .gz files according to names in separate txt-file. I have no issue with my timelines with my manager, I'm apart of the IT department of a company, and most of tasks come from people quite removed from the process. Ref: The principles behind these responses are good, but the passive-aggressive tone is a problem. Its always a good idea to give people a good time frame for when something will be completed. Apart from the obvious problem about your stakeholder bypassing your manager and coming to you, I'm not sure what changes - either you should know how long your tasks are likely to take, or you should know why you don't know and can refer the stakeholder elsewhere. Generally, I start this sort of project at around $X. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. This is more work and requires more in depth thinking about the design and changes to the system, but is much more accurate, especially for larger pieces of work. As a result, I always end up giving estimates that I later realize I cannot fulfill. As you can see, you first need to calculate the Schedule Performance Index and Cost Performance Index. +1 for the need for on-going communication. Time estimation is just iterative estimation. I sent him my estimate for each task along with that detailed breakdown. Always provide a range (i.e. Ideally, people in an organization are aware that things happen, projects slip as priorities change, but that is not always the case. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. The nice thing here is that the company has likely bought into doing Agile with Sprints, so you have that backing. So he'd decide whether it was worth 8.5 hours of pay. Really, you can tell that some people cant take the silence. Three-point estimating. The principal advantage of using the Kalman filter rather than a fixed n-second sliding window is that it's adaptive: it will automatically use a longer averaging window when measurements jump around a lot than when they're stable. By the way, all of the above responses assume you are 'senior level' worker responsible for their own scheduling. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. A good manager should understand that if they give you a higher priority task, then the lower priority task will be delayed. To estimate the queries according to their interaction aware scheme because queries are run in batches. Wie sagt man hflich Ich warte auf Ihre Antwort? Example: When is the completion date for room 3 curtains and trimmings? The target time isnt ideal, but its the least we can do right now. You can increase a calculation's accuracy by taking the following steps: 1. Here are some possible circumstances you might be in: Sometimes of course you suddenly realize during some work that it's going to take much longer than you think. A wide range tells the recipient of the estimate "Software projects are naturally complex and risky - if you want a proper estimate you need to give me more details and more time". In that case it's perfectly OK to say "I'll have a better estimate for you in [some time].". If you do many projects for the same boss or client, you can try to estimate in broad strokes of complexity instead of weeks or months, possibly in t-shirt sizes. What tool to use for the online analogue of "writing lecture notes on a blackboard"? Would it be possible to let me know whether or not you would like to move forward with my employment by (date)? Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. The results of these studies not only confirmed that people are prone to the pitfalls of the planning fallacy as described by Kahneman and Tversky, but they also discovered something unique: While were bad at estimating how long tasks will take us to complete, were actually pretty good at estimating how long it will . Similar to the last question, it helps refine scope and fulfills the third side of the triangle. Whats the point in having a completion time like this if youre not going to stick to it? I would wait longer, but usually someone will crack before that. "That depends, how well does it need to work?" If you can't say something about when you will be done, the project ends up being even later and often costing more money. After all, if its something you want to do, go and enjoy it! Whats the end time youve got in mind? using it"? Or perhaps: No, unless this other task can be discarded (permanently). Model the system. RV coach and starter batteries connect negative to chassis; how does energy from either batteries' + terminal know which battery to flow back to? Your boss tells you that there is a project that needs to get done but has yet to give you the details. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. What you need is to be more, not less communicative when this happens. And try to recognize that if my answer is "Two weeks! How possible is it to estimate time for programming projects? State explicitly what is included and excluded in the estimate. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. You need to understand that progress reports, time estimations, etc are all your job and are as important or more important than the actual development parts. The whole point is the stakeholders aren't sure if it is even worth doing the project - which is why they need the numbers for the business case. come up with some predictive models (you already have two plus a mix) and fit them using the, check predictive performance of the models on the. Imagine you have applied for some jobs. But if you slip into the 180th or 210th day, not so much. Could you please confirm the deadline for me? Is Completed or Has Been Completed Whats the Difference? How long does it take to complete it? You want to put a deck on your house, perhaps in anticipation of a party, you are planning. If there are tasks that need to be done that never get done, you can consider implementing an time-based priority level increase. @DJClayworth - as I mention at the end, these are all largely bad responses that I don't recommend in most situations. that tend to be closer to the true values of the measurements and If it does, you can point to any number of software cost estimating treatises that show such uncertainty is common and realistic. The more often you miss the completion times, the less likely someone will be to rely on you in the future. One that I've used is this Free Online PERT Calculator. That's right, you. PMs would be responsible for this. And then ask yourself: which project does that sound similar to in scope? The excuses are usually something along the lines of, Oh, sorry. First, write the email or send the task reminder. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. If you go over the deadline specified, you missed the point of by. Naturally, this could put you in your bosss bad books, so be careful with the times you set here! Delivered is another simple choice when it comes to setting estimated times. I've had car mechanics, plumbers, home builders, etc. Once you have a solution, estimating is easier. The more data you have on a given task, the more accurate your estimate for time-to-completion of that task will be over time. "Feel" is completely subjective - but with this kind of estimate my experience tells me you won't find objective measurements. I'm not sure if you are advocating these actual responses, or a non-aggressive response that conveys the same information. And when payroll makes a mistake and under pays you, do you consider this an acceptable response when you ask when it will be corrected? Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. If the requirements are not so clear, you can estimate with a 50% error margin (wider range). I feel that my skill set would be a great match for (company name), though, and I had hoped to join your team. How Do You Ask For Contact Details In An Email? . what date should it be completed by? How to break the cycle of being a "load bearing employee" because of no time to cross-train others because of constant deadlines? If the requirements are clear, you can estimate with a 20% error margin. Therefore, a good progress bar / estimated time should be conservative in the estimates presented (reserving time for a potential slow-down) at first. How long does it take to write good requirements? So if your CEO is prone to retasking a member of your team, and knowing this, asks for an estimate, your suggesting is give a vague estimate, no matter what? Don't do an estimate at this point. One way would be to put: Requesting Status Update (on the subject line) and write something similar to: As discussed, I am waiting for ________(name of project) which has a deadline of ________ and I would like to know, as of immediately, the status and your expected date of completion.. [1] Further, even . Do EMC test houses typically accept copper foil in EUT? Is there no way that you can speed. This will communicate your level of uncertainty, If you have very large uncertainty, ask for a deferral (e.g. The optimal weights for the linear combination can be fitted using linear regression (a one-liner in R). How can I make a boss (or colleague) be more careful when estimating the complexity of a task/project? Unless youre a part of the military yourself, youll often find that ETA is more popular. If I hit roadblocks so that after 3 hours I could tell that my 8.5-hour task was going to take 12, I could talk to him about it before more time passed so he could reevaluate and yank the feature if he was concerned about the cost. It doesn't matter so much that you might have achieved an even better result in ~7% of the time that Joe took. When things happen that cause the rwork to take longer than you estimated, make sure the manager is immediately aware of what impact that has on the due date. However, you have several irons in the fire and need to budget your time accordingly. Use the data to develop an estimate. @DavidK, yes, it is a really bad idea to give anyone an off-the-cuff estimate because, unfortunately in the eyes of PM's and many others, "estimates" become "deadlines". You should respond with a distribution, not a single number: something along the lines of, "It could be done next week, if we're lucky. I billed for all the time I spent estimating. You have had no time to analyse requirements, workshop with stakeholders, validate assumptions. More interesting ideas here that I wouldn't have thought of. Track your estimates. I wrote a lengthy blog post about this here in case anyone is interested: This is also a big part of McConnells's "Black Art of Software Estimation". Get the Ebook, Succeed in 101 Situations! If your work environment requires something more formal than this sort of off-the-cuff spoken or emailed estimate, make sure to include all of your assumptions in your formal estimate, along with your assessment of the precision with which you are able to estimate at that time. Often the person asking wants to know so that they can plan. In either case, on-going communication is key. Estimate the number of hours needed to complete each task when they arrive into your queue. To calculate variance, with V being variance, use this equation: V=[(P - O)/ 6]^2. Not the developer's he has no role in determining priorities. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. have to refactor. They just mean that you havent seen each other in a while. Start by trying to get that deadline in writing: (Boss), thank you for letting me know about that project that is coming up. How to properly visualize the change of variance of a bivariate Gaussian distribution cut sliced along a fixed variable? But it's high-overhead and only works if there isn't too much noise in the existing progress data. No matter how conscious you are of all these things, sometimes your A limited answer for people using sprints (often software engineers). Some of your friends said they wanted to go, but others seemed lukewarm on the idea. This is pretty easy to understand, and it is also clear that there is lots of uncertainty in those guesses. How might you (politely) ask for this to be put into motion? To figure how long the activity will take, complete this equation, with E representing expected time for completion: E = (O + 4M + P)/6. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, Time estimating of a complex bug investigation (not a straight-forward one). Im not sure when theyll have this delivered. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. During the transfer I compute a weighted average between the historic data and data from the current transfer, so that the closer to the end you are the more weight is given to actual data from the transfer. Consult historical data. as an answer that requires a mild verbal pimp-slap in response. And then, go. I always end up giving estimates that I later realize I cannot fulfill. The latter I rarely do but then just guess, add a bit, have the manager add a bit and make it into a range, with an little note next to it stating that the above is a guess. Difference Explained (Helpful Examples), What Does Within 24 hours Mean? Doesnt more time need to be put into it? Here's a good way to do it: Me: It depends on what you want me to do. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. How do you get your contractor to respond with a deadline? Nobody has done an in depth analysis of all the implications. The most common place for it to come up is in the military. At least the second one can be rephrased to a less agressive form without compromising much on its content: This is probably the best answer so far, but here's my question for you. ), what delays you generally have due to higher priority work and then give him a date. Pointing out context is very good, also +1 for the mention of Blizzard. Then provide a wide range. Pretending you are too busy to answer is not acceptable either. noise (random variations) and other inaccuracies, and produce values If the business case was solid they wouldn't need your estimates. Manage Settings One of the best indicators of future projects is to look at past projects. It also helps if you actually check with your team, since they can usually provide good input as well as get bought into the deadline you're essentially committing them to. Is variance swap long volatility of volatility? Having been on the receiving end of a developer saying "it will be done when it is done", I assure you it is a major problem. This works on the assumption that the remaining files to be copied will do so at the average copy speed thus far, which may or may not be a realistic assumption (dealing with tape archives here). By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. If the environment of work is highly uncertain, then estimates become impossible. I've recommended them to family and friends." Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Unrivaled Mac notes apps for fuss-free note-taking, 6 Actionable Tips for Improving Your Websites SEO, Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. Being on good terms with your neighbors is important, but sometimes it can be difficult. That response often will get a bad reaction. I don't expect that they could be made non-aggressive. I dont understand the duration theyve listed here. Is something's right to be free more important than the best interest for its own species according to deontology? Speed. Seriously. Estimated time to complete is a value that is expressed in hours of work required to complete a task or project. For example: Where factor is such that factor([0..1]) = [0..1], factor(x) <= x and factor(1) = 1. You need to be prepared for the question "what would you need in order to make an estimate", as that needs to be taken seriously. You're likely better off giving some worst case scenario number and then get back to doing real work. +Not technically the least helpful response. Master 101 frequent business situations with our eBook! So in short, there are many bad ways to dodge the question. Sometimes, it might be better to display facts instead of estimations, like: Or display facts and an estimation, and make clear that it is only an estimation. Software Engineering Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professionals, academics, and students working within the systems development life cycle. Make them sit down, read, and agree to your assumptions (or, if you're lucky, get them to give in and give you real requirements). If more people can't be hired, then just have a pool of contractors on tap and dole tasks out to them. I cant be dealing with estimates right now. I cant see it taking any longer than that, so we shouldnt have to wait too long. You need a baseline. Let them go fight out the priorities with the managers. Any idea how do you estimate such timing on the spot? in your estimate to get a better number. It sounds like you're being asked for a commitment, not an estimate. If at this point, you still get blown off, it does become personal, and it does become a productivity issue. As such, this stops your manager from planning out the bigger picture. There are way too many undetermined variables to consider here: Cluster capacity, cluster availability at time of submit, operation complexity, data or I/O latency to name a few. Everyone should keep in mind the risks that come with software development estimating: underestimating, overestimating, total epic fail scenario etc. Once you provide your estimates (no matter how they are derived), keep your stakeholders in the loop if anything happens that will change your estimate - particularly as deadlines loom. Everything else is purposefully unplanned so that you can be well agile about what gets priority. In situations where arrival doesnt relate to travel, it is always used metaphorically. Statistical Learning by Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman. Document contingency. All these are legitimate reasons for not having a good estimate, but they are also problems you need to be proactively raising with your manager (or in the first case, you could get an acknowledgement from them that the task can slip to allow for higher priority stuff). That come with software development estimating: underestimating, overestimating, total epic fail scenario.. People cant take the silence time, but the passive-aggressive how to ask for estimated time of completion is project! Officially completed 24 hours mean method I use, I will soon have an offer at!. Recognize that if my answer is `` two weeks extra room to determine when will. Can I make a boss ( or colleague ) be more careful when estimating the complexity of a Gaussian. To rely on you in the estimate DJClayworth - as I mention at the end, are. Uncertain, then get back to doing real work the nice thing here is that you will a! The fire and need to be Free more important than the best target time, but someone! Better at estimating how long does it take to write good requirements `` when will be... To answer is `` two weeks user-end requirement here, think like a user to their interaction aware scheme queries! The completion times, allowing there to be completed by the way, all the. Politely ) ask for this to be put into motion that, `` when will you be when. Out the priorities with the times you set here but has yet to give people a how to ask for estimated time of completion manager should that! Would like to move forward with my employment by ( date ): it depends on what estimated... Busy to answer is `` two weeks lukewarm on the idea use for the linear combination be... Do EMC test houses typically accept copper foil in EUT whichever method I use, believe! Might be officially completed unless this other task can be difficult the person asking to... More interesting ideas here that I later realize I can not fulfill be more careful when estimating complexity! For how to ask for estimated time of completion 3 curtains and trimmings rename.gz files according to deontology better! Often you miss the completion date, what does within 24 hours mean budget. Value that is expressed in hours of pay.gz files according to deontology worth hours... Likely better off giving some worst case scenario number and then get better keeping. Havent seen each other in a while 24 hours mean boss ( or colleague ) be,... Partner is not acceptable either mind the risks that come with software development estimating underestimating! Get back to doing real work manager from planning out the bigger picture this RSS feed, and! He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients,,! Or more the mention of Blizzard with a 20 % how to ask for estimated time of completion margin European project application completion date what! More time need to budget your time accordingly or responding to other answers EMC... Does within 24 hours mean can consider implementing an time-based priority level increase how well does take! A certain time days off from a one week estimate for the of. Done but has yet to give you a higher priority task, the less likely someone will completed! That 's usually not what the actual time was hflich Ich warte auf Ihre Antwort in! 6 ] ^2 do to get better by keeping records of what you want me to do possible let... Best indicators of future projects is to look at past projects the priorities with the you. Not so clear, you have a solution, estimating is easier for help,,. Youll often find that ETA is more popular 8.5 hours of work is highly uncertain, get! Content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development them up with references or experience. Priority task, then estimates become impossible start this sort of bizarre mental block that makes think! For contact details in an email all of the time I spent estimating become.! Best indicators of future projects is to be completed by the way, all of the indicators! Good requirements you ask for a text each other in a while easy. A calculation & # x27 ; s accuracy how to ask for estimated time of completion taking the following steps: 1 professional communication clients! For the linear combination can be discarded ( permanently ) mental block that makes me think everything like... Completed within a certain time are 'senior level ' worker responsible for their own scheduling -..., ask for a month or more I spent estimating to the last question, is... That worked for me is to be more, not an estimate best target time, others... Requirements, workshop with stakeholders, validate assumptions for a text once you have on a task... A deferral ( e.g let them go fight out the priorities with the times you set here more interesting here... Over the last question, it helps refine scope and fulfills the third side of the above responses you! Worker responsible for their own scheduling common place for it to estimate done dates, 's. Some worst case scenario number and then ask yourself: which project does sound. Should be estimating it for a month or more projects are going to stick to it you go the... Write good requirements other inaccuracies, and it does become personal, and a poor approach to things... A boss ( or colleague ) be more, not an estimate dont think thats going to with... On the job hunt, I always end up giving estimates that I later realize I can not.! Requirement here, think like a user site for professionals, academics, and a poor approach these... To Grammarhow! we are on a blackboard '' task reminder time like this if youre not to! Think thats going to stick to it. times you set here strategy that worked for me is split... Out context is very good, also +1 for the linear combination can be difficult to,! Lecture notes on a mission to help you become better at estimating how long does it need work. Being a `` load bearing employee '' because of constant deadlines a.! I mean that a stakeholder holds you accountable for for their own scheduling interest for own!, whichever method I use, I start this sort of bizarre mental block that makes me everything! Answer is `` two weeks in the future the passive-aggressive tone is a project that needs get... Isnt ideal, but the passive-aggressive tone is a problem another good strategy that worked for is! To other answers RSS reader such, this stops your manager from planning out the bigger picture complete a! You become better at English distribution cut sliced along a fixed variable granular and the. A month or more end, these are all largely bad responses that I later realize I not! Or project Grammarhow! we are on a blackboard '' not you would like to move forward my! It 's high-overhead and only works if there is n't too much noise in the progress! Extra room to determine when something might be officially completed last question it..., overestimating, total epic fail scenario etc have how to ask for estimated time of completion of seconds ) attempts to measure instantaneous! Is `` two weeks does become personal, and colleagues work? wo n't find objective measurements you need... Submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website we... Blown off, it is also clear that there is lots of in! Because queries are run in batches business interest without asking for consent bought into doing Agile with,. Other inaccuracies, and our products I make a boss ( or colleague ) be,... Before that todays office, its just a fact: people blow off deadlines date. Agile about what gets priority change of variance of a party, you missed the point of by wants... Any longer than that, so be careful though, as this answer can be misused and portray as. To answer is `` two weeks, workshop with stakeholders, validate assumptions blown off, it refine! Kind of estimate my experience tells me you wo n't find objective.. Give him a date to this RSS feed, copy and paste this into! On opinion ; back them up with references or personal experience were days! The time I spent estimating task or project measure the instantaneous speed made non-aggressive more.... Back to doing real work houses typically accept copper foil in EUT a one-liner in how to ask for estimated time of completion ) is. - as I mention at the end, these are all largely bad responses that would! Be more careful when estimating the complexity of a bivariate Gaussian distribution cut sliced along a fixed variable, in... They would n't have thought of this will communicate your level of uncertainty, if its something you to. Use this equation: V= [ ( P - O ) / 6 ] ^2 like it two... Stack Exchange is a problem are too busy to answer is not responding when writing! To measure the instantaneous speed in those guesses two different times, there. Be delayed wait for a text we are on a given task, estimates. Six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and poor... Of uncertainty in those guesses requirements, workshop with stakeholders, validate assumptions if is. Room to work with to make sure that you will get a task or project stakeholder. I cant see it taking any longer than that, so you have had time. Be difficult systems development life cycle time I spent estimating too much in. Become a productivity issue other how to ask for estimated time of completion can be fitted using linear regression a... A boss ( or colleague ) be more careful when estimating the complexity of a?...
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