A Useful Resource to Share With Your Boss or Customers About Estimation

Our development team has recently undertaken a new project which is the biggest initiative for the company in 2014. Since we were dealing with some large and complex components, we've been struggling with how we can provide the business with a reasonable estimate for completion of our minimally viable product (MVP).

I began doing research to see what others in our field have done and polled other Certified ScrumMasters on what their struggles & successes have been. I tapped into a such wealth of knowledge provided by leaders in our field that I felt compelled to compile that information and format it for broader consumption.

Face it. Software development teams suck at estimating when their projects are going to be completed. For anyone involved in software development; be it engineers, product managers, and customers this scene is all too familiar:

“How’s the project coming? Will it be done in mid-April like you said?”
“Well, we’re actually way behind. April doesn’t seem doable, but that was always just an estimate.”
“How is that possible? You estimated up front that it’d only take you 3 months!?”

Read more: Why Your Tech Team Missed Their Deadline

 Tell me what you think and how your team deals with estimates.