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This is an early view over a process we are experimenting with in my organisation; budgets not estimates. It represents a re-ordering of components in the planning process that generates more options and reduces single-option big bets. There are lots of different terms for how people plan software, but very often it involves someone turning […]
Yes, this is a sub-post! A reaction to a post titled “Why Devs (Should) Like Estimates”. I try not to get involved in industry conversations about estimation (or, indeed, #NoEstimates) as it can get very dicey at a general level in ways that simply don’t occur for a specific team or organisation. I’ll briefly qualify […]
Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas I have said a thing or two about estimates in the past; and it generally leads to no good. What I do sometimes need to do is clarify my perspective, because people don’t get it. As always, definitions are important – so I’m to clarify what I think of when […]
The cone of uncertainty is a software model that provides pre-baked multipliers to convert a single-point “most likely” estimate into a range, based on the broad stage of a well-managed sequential software development project. That isn’t to say it can’t also be applied to iterative software development – depending on the details of the method […]
A fader is a control you can use to vary the volume of sound, the intensity of light, or the gain on a video or audio signal. We have all seen giant sound desks in expensive studios with arrays of motorised faders controlling the mix of a recording. The important thing to remember is that […]
The #NoEstimates debate seems unavoidable, but I’m worried that we’re all being distracted by it. Neil Killick has written some quality articles on #NoEstimates and I thoroughly recommend that you read them as there are some interesting thoughts on removing estimates, ditching velocity and delivering some actual value. “#NoEstimates is not about ditching estimates. It […]
So the Royal Baby® had everyone running sweepstakes on baby weight and gender and there was a ton of guessing. Weight guesses ranged from six pounds eleven ounces to eight pounds four ounces with many kinds of logic being explained about why the numbers were selected. There were some incredibly convincing statements about how the […]
If you read my recent note on Estimating With Time And Relative Sizes you might be interested in this method of generating relative sizes. Firstly, some important ground rules. You want a group of people to generate a size simultaneously and you don’t want to let anyone say numbers out loud, or undermine another individuals […]
If you are estimating work, the chances are that you are on a gradual philosophical journey that starts with time-based estimates. Estimating how many hours, days, weeks and months a task will take is what I like to call “novice estimating”. Almost everyone knows how long these units of measurement are, which makes them very […]