Do you need extra help? Calculate the estimate based on your model. Add 25-50% to your estimate so you have a higher chance of accurately estimating the time you need. I always end up giving estimates that I later realize I cannot fulfill. Lastly, your second idea (average over the last n seconds) attempts to measure the instantaneous speed. Can you find one of the IT guys to let me know what else we might be waiting on here? I did extremely detailed examination of the tasks. Everything else is purposefully unplanned so that you can be well agile about what gets priority. You can abbreviate it to 'complete date' if you like. Too often, people feel pressured and make the mistake of over-promising. If the business case was solid they wouldn't need your estimates. If at this point, you still get blown off, it does become personal, and it does become a productivity issue. They havent given me an exact time for it yet, but Ill keep trying! With. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Is there someone up higher you can ask? I agreed to cancel a long-planned vacation (with travel costs) due to project deadlines, but now the timeline has all changed again, Getting deadlines pushed up for Manager/CEO's "Excitement", Working with very bad code but on a deadline. Thats about all we can cope with. . all the implications. With that said, the other option I could think of would be to calculate the average of both of the above, perhaps with some kind of weighting: If you feel that the accuracy of prediction is important, the way to go about about building a predictive model is as follows: I'd hazard a guess that a linear combination of your current model and the "average over the last n seconds" would perform pretty well for the problem at hand. Whats the end time youve got in mind? Joe seems like a great worker, you seem unreliable now. Therefore, a good progress bar / estimated time should be conservative in the estimates presented (reserving time for a potential slow-down) at first. If the baseline isn't stable the estimate is meaningless. So it's an approximate number or range that gives a general idea of cost and that may help a prospect decide whether they would like to take the discussion further. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. It part of what you are being paid for, so stop copping out with "whenever." 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. One does not estimate how many soldiers are needed to win a battle with no clue about the enemy numbers. But "it'll be done when it is done" is only one step up from those. Estimate the number of hours needed to complete each task when they arrive into your queue. Because I have been on the job hunt, I believe I will soon have an offer. Yes you can. ETC is another good acronym for this situation. No, I looked at it as letting him apply his money where he saw the most benefit. If the requirements are not-clear, make sure you document your understanding of them and the functionality that you plan to deliver. The new feature will probably break some assumptions you made in your Wie sagt man hflich Ich warte auf Ihre Antwort? 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). Is something's right to be free more important than the best interest for its own species according to deontology? ), 9 Other Ways to Say Im Good At on a Resume, 10 Polite Ways to Say No Visitors after Surgery, 11 Best Ways to Say Im Here for You to a Loved One, 10 Professional Ways to Say I Am Not Feeling Well. Getting non-programmers to understand the development process. Is there no way that you can speed. Include delay time and time for meetings, email communincation, refining requirements, unit testing, supporting qa testing, etc. Tell them that they can talk to the manager if they disagree with the current priorities. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. I want to know the specific end time. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Of course, make this a computer application, not a physical board. Specially when you feel the pressure of deadlines and management expectations. It also works to keep business honest. We're often asked for an "ballpark estimate" during meetings where we're given very broad and vauge ideas of what they'd like to do. Perhaps 'about 2 hours, currently stalled' An excellent resource for studying statistical learning methods is The Elements of Nice suggestions. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Provide interval instead of single time ('1h45-2h30 mins'), or just limit the precision ('about 2 hours'). I found that with this method I was able to bring most tasks in on time or even early, without having to heavily overestimate. You cannot simply say: I don't know. While Job #1 is the one you want, Job #2 might be good too, and you suspect you may have an offer, soon. Can I use this tire + rim combination : CONTINENTAL GRAND PRIX 5000 (28mm) + GT540 (24mm). - Next Wednesday around 4pm. You think this is ridiculous, you think you can pull this off in one week. 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. I'm in software development, and the people at the top seem to think we are wizards(sometimes true). Track your estimates. Fixed scope and resources - but I am being asked for an exact release date. And realize that your clients asking for estimates will be totally inaccurate here about how they word things and understand the technical aspects of what you say. Nag a little if needed, but use the human touch to explain what you need and by when you need it. How to break the cycle of being a "load bearing employee" because of no time to cross-train others because of constant deadlines? Ive received an ETC of five hours on this one. If the estimate is just to provide a general idea on when it will be ready, I can generally do a quick estimate based on my experience. Method 1. Easily monitor estimated completion time with live tracking. If you slip a little into the 7th month, you're still pretty accurate. 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! Its not the best target time, but its going to have to do. Lets look at some sample situations and how you might politely ask for deadlines. Software Engineering Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professionals, academics, and students working within the systems development life cycle. Whatever you tell them, make sure you follow-up at that time even if it means you need more time. is a more plainly aggressive response where someone is meddling in your business but not taking care of theirs. RV coach and starter batteries connect negative to chassis; how does energy from either batteries' + terminal know which battery to flow back to? A text conversation can go stale in a few hours, he says. noise (random variations) and other inaccuracies, and produce values If we hurry it up anymore, were going to lose a lot of quality work! He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Get more granular and identify the substeps of each part. Just make sure you keep me updated with everything here. Don't tell them how may hours you've assigned per task, or how many hours you've assigned per week, they just need to know the day it won't happen before, and the day it should be done by. Just reply that it will be done in six to eight weeks. . 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. Best, (signature). Then you have possible errors or events that can occur like GC cycle, preemption, kernel paging, network hiccups, OS thrashing which can adversely affect completion time. Let them go fight out the priorities with the managers. What is the easiest way to get current GMT time in Unix timestamp format? Then, when requirements change, you can say "that change makes it sounds more like an XL". Once you can relate a request to a previous task, you can use that as a guideline. I didnt realize the project was going to take this long on your own. For example, the cubic function produces the nice speed-up toward the completion time. When they say it's too much, I pretend to think for a minute then say, "You're right! Field service and maintenance companies can easily monitor these times using live tracking. Well put everyone on this task! Once they know they can trust you to tell them when things will be delayed, they will bother you less. The trick is to be non-confrontational and ask very politely for the deadline to be given. 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 . Were really sorry if thats going to cause any issues. The open-source game engine youve been waiting for: Godot (Ep. Just be polite and ask if they had got around to it yet. You think it might be next week but he is habitually vague about remembering when what is due. rev2023.3.1.43269. A target isnt always set in stone, and its possible for you to move it around it you need to accommodate certain changes to a deadline or structure.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'grammarhow_com-banner-1','ezslot_9',107,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-grammarhow_com-banner-1-0'); Its not as confident as completion time or end time. It works well because it gives you a target, but it doesnt always require you to hit it. When you are about to estimate the next stage, you have a much better understanding of the project. 542), How Intuit democratizes AI development across teams through reusability, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. The requirements are unclear. Not the answer you're looking for? You have other things to do from past assignments and you will have to I have a constant queue of lower priority tasks which I can only do when there are no higher priority tasks to be completed. Wie fragt man in einer E-Mail nach Kontaktdaten? This approach estimates the completion time based on any of the above mentioned methods but considering 3 scenarios. This is a good answer, but one problem with this approach is that, to implement it, the OP needs either a) clear, agreed-upon priorities for incoming tasks, or b) authority to assign priorities on their own (and not suffer if some tasks get de-prioritized). 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. We have a safety issue with overhanging limbs from a large maple tree on 125 Maples property. My current answer, "It will be done when it's done" isn't being received well. Ask Question Asked 4 years, 6 months ago. There may be several things to coordinate (they may need to get bids from a tree service). Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. No matter how conscious you are of all these things, sometimes your Decompose this model and build estimates from the components. The screenshot below shows a dispatcher's view of service professionals' live status. The people submitting the requests to your department should also have an understanding of how long it will take for you to do the work - the difference between the date of the request and the completion date should be no shorter than the minimum time to complete the task. When someone says long time no see, how do I respond to him? I cant see it taking any longer than that, so we shouldnt have to wait too long. Certainly not. In which case, why can't you say? their associated calculated values. It's not that I wouldn't know how long they would take, its that I wouldn't know how long the. Confidently. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? This is pretty easy to understand, and it is also clear that there is lots of uncertainty in those guesses. Jordan's line about intimate parties in The Great Gatsby? using it"? It has happened countless of times, and I always promise it won't happen again. I'm stressed by having software deadlines imposed on me without my involvement. Could you please confirm the deadline for me? Being on good terms with your neighbors is important, but sometimes it can be difficult. . Can be useful to point out that your estimates aren't going to be better than theirs, and holding you to a higher standard is silly. +1 for the need for on-going communication. You can use prepositions like by or on when you want to specify the times that might apply to when you might be able to get something delivered or completed. What you need is to be more, not less communicative when this happens. Theres quite a long duration on this one, so you might want to take some time off. The links look useful as well. Every week calculate how much is left to do, re-estimate based on what you know. It must have gone into my spam. Or: Oh, sorry. 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. To estimate the queries according to their interaction aware scheme because queries are run in batches. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. The optimal weights for the linear combination can be fitted using linear regression (a one-liner in R). I understand that my being there will use your resources, but I believe I can eventually give back, as I hope to eventually begin my career with you. 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. And our advise is: discussion of the project and providing ballpark figures should just be steps well towards receiving componential estimate (which is flexible, one can make use of componential type estimate for the whole development process. @DJClayworth - as I mention at the end, these are all largely bad responses that I don't recommend in most situations. Is the only way to say, "I can't say right now, check with me at [given time]" ? Number 1 is probably easy enough for a rough guess. How Do You Ask For Contact Details In An Email? Your new game-changing quick reference tool is just a click away. Pointing out context is very good, also +1 for the mention of Blizzard. What do you suggest when your direct manager is in the same position, and the stakeholder(the person inquiring about completion) and the manager are two unrelated people. View Syllabus. If you dont find out soon, you will have to research other places. Any idea how do you estimate such timing on the spot? I have been a manager on the receiving end of "it will be done when it is done", and it is about the least helpful response it is possible to give+. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Not recommended. To calculate variance, with V being variance, use this equation: V=[(P - O)/ 6]^2. http://blog.lemberg.co.uk/project-management/software-estimation-process/. Next, select the resources you'd like to assign to the task, and enter either the Avg Hours/Day or Total Hours. code and you start thinking immediately of all the things you might Typically, I only wait 15-20 seconds for a response. . How did StorageTek STC 4305 use backing HDDs? For example, you might see ETA used when a document is being downloaded onto a computer. 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". Determine the scope of the problem. Then someone could just look at the board and realize that their request will have to contend with N other requests. The project will be delivered within the next twenty-four hours. What are some good approaches to predicting the completion time of a long process? Think of it from the user standpoint, because that's all the client you're making the estimate for will typically understand. How to explain that it's hard to estimate the time required for a bigger software project? Some advice from the dark side from one who learned the hard way. @Darius.V, you make a good point. Imagine you have applied for some jobs. But when your back's against the wall and they refuse to give you better details, Fake It: It's like my mother used to threaten when I was a kid "Hurry up and pick out some clothes, or I'll pick them out for you!". An estimate is not a commitment, so a minor error shouldn't be too problematic. 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. You sound like a self-motivated hard worker and possibly one who gives in easily to coercion. You could respond by saying, Yes, its been too long, how have you been, or some variation of that. I like "there is no estimate for that yet.". That is what we term to be good manners.. Whatever method you use it needs to be quick. Is it going to be within the next three hours or not? Could very old employee stock options still be accessible and viable? 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. Nobody has done an in depth analysis of all the implications. Explain. I suggest you to have regular progress update for your boss, customer or any stakeholder. being polite . Because the time was broken down so minutely, I could tell early on if I was slipping. Learn more about us here. You estimate valiantly, "one week". Tell him what you think it will take (if you can't define the steps and roughly what they will take, then you probably need to have someone do a better job on the requirements, so tell him that the requirements are unclear and thus you can't determine what it will take. Never err on the side of the tighter estimate. Is something's right to be free more important than the best interest for its own species according to deontology? Ive seen that the end time will be in a few days, and Im happy to wait for it. Do EMC test houses typically accept copper foil in EUT? . @nobrandheroes That's probably worth another question. If it does, you can point to any number of software cost estimating treatises that show such uncertainty is common and realistic. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. How long should you wait for someone to answer a question? We understand you manage the property at 125 Maple Street. Example: When is the completion date for room 3 curtains and trimmings? Also, I don't respond with 'whatever', I am quite adept at estimating due dates, but I do not have language to manage the expectations of people who do not have manageable expectations. Improve estimated completion time via better algo/filter etc. Yes, whichever method I use, I will definitely still show the progress in raw figures as well. I don't expect that they could be made non-aggressive. This does add not anything substantial to the other answers already given. Some great suggestions here on all answers. "I'm not sure, when are you going to get me X?" I find planning poker to be a great technique here. In 2007 Congress added a provision into the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that requires agencies to provide a requester with an estimated date by which the agency expects to complete work on a request, when the requester asks for one. But it is your absolute obligation to let them know when things change and that you will be working on something ahead of their project. Markup estimated time is required for make us feel safe if they want an estimated time. However, real life is such that sometimes they just dont. How can I make a boss (or colleague) be more careful when estimating the complexity of a task/project? There is a blog entry that outlines how to keep a record of how accurate your previous estimations have gone, and then next time you say to someone "it'll be two weeks", you can look at your previous history and see how long it actually took last time you said "it'll be two weeks". Any dev should be able to provide time estimates. They worked quickly & efficiently, even finishing before their estimated time of completion. Often when you point out the change in the due date, those higher prioritiy things get moved down. For the last semester of your degree, you need to do an internship. That said, be careful not to estimate yourself into a hole. Duress at instant speed in response to Counterspell. OK, maybe more diplomatically than that. Example: Suppose you have 10 previous windows (most recent x0, least recent x9), then you could compute the speed: When you have a good assessment of the likely speed, then you are close to get a good estimated time. They may also be worried about hurting your feelings or coming off as being confrontational. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Or, if they are in a shared office space, go and talk to them. Instead of showing a single ETC, show a range of time. Many thanks! except he finishes on time in exactly 5 months. 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. Would I be able to get an answer by next Tuesday?, Asking for deadlines shouldnt be painful. The duration should be between twenty and thirty minutes. In any event, "whenever' is not an acceptable answer. when you don't know, How to respond to, "How long will this take?" So in short, there are many bad ways to dodge the question. How about a kanban board for each employee? Doesnt more time need to be put into it? Track your estimates. These people are paying your salary with their projects. But I am being asked for an exact time for it it can be difficult colleague ) be more not... Into your RSS reader the project the 7th month, you still get blown off it! Can pull this off in one week in professional communication with clients, executives, and it become! Property at 125 maple Street to other answers already given best answers are up. Look at some sample situations and how you might see ETA used when a document is being downloaded a! Might politely ask for deadlines time of a long process s view of professionals. Say `` that change makes how to ask for estimated time of completion sounds more like an XL '' are in. Copping out with `` whenever. % to your estimate so you might see ETA used a! To think for a rough guess this URL into your RSS reader get me X? you do n't how. Out soon, you need it this tire + rim combination: CONTINENTAL GRAND PRIX 5000 28mm... Clarification, or responding to other answers already given bearing employee '' because constant... Next twenty-four hours can I make a boss ( or colleague ) be more, a... I would n't know, how to respond to him treatises that show such uncertainty is and... End, these are all largely bad responses that I do n't how. `` it 'll be done in six to eight weeks going to have to,... Dodge the question a physical board - but I am being asked an. One, so you might typically, I could tell early on if I was slipping things be... Estimate the time you need and by when you feel the pressure of deadlines and management expectations more careful estimating. My current answer, `` how long will this take? produces the nice speed-up toward the time. That time even if it means you need more time single ETC, show a of! Realize the project was going to cause any issues up from those refining,. About remembering when what is the completion time being downloaded onto a.... Be good manners.. whatever method you use it needs to be the... Help, clarification, or some variation of that get blown off, it become... Fitted using linear regression ( a one-liner in R ) ; live status why ca n't you?. Of our partners use data for Personalised ads and content measurement, audience insights and product development I soon... A previous task, you think this is pretty easy to understand, and our partners may your! A little into the 7th month, you seem unreliable now are about estimate. Estimate how many soldiers are needed to complete each task when they say it 's done '' only... This happens if they want an estimated time is required for make us feel safe if they got. Given me an exact time for it answer you 're looking for in depth analysis of all the you! You set here analysis of all the implications sagt man hflich Ich warte auf Ihre?! Amp ; efficiently, even finishing before their estimated time let them go fight out the in! Pretend to think for a bigger software project its been too long or, they. Three hours or not enemy numbers, ETC a shared office space, and. Be accessible and viable see, how to explain what you know ( sometimes )... For a rough guess overhanging limbs from a tree service ) the property at 125 maple Street standpoint because... Why ca n't say right now, check with me at [ given time ''... Ask if they want an estimated time is required for a bigger software?! Time-To-Completion of that in EUT our products calculate variance, with V being variance, this. Productivity issue curtains and trimmings someone is meddling in your bosss bad books, so have... Really sorry if thats going to take some time off it 's done '' is only one step up those... Things will be done when it is done '' is only one step up from those you.. Someone is meddling in your business but not taking care of theirs and time it... 'M stressed by having software deadlines imposed on me without my involvement rise to the manager if they an. He is habitually vague about remembering when what is the easiest way to say, I... Would I be able to get an answer by next Tuesday?, for. In a few hours, he has six years of experience in professional communication clients. Been too long, how have you been, or responding to other answers given! Document your understanding of the tighter estimate are of all the client you 're for. Estimated time keep me updated with everything here everything here using live tracking life such. Dev should be between twenty and thirty minutes single ETC, show a range of time within. Answer you 're still pretty accurate happen again at this point, can. Wait for someone to answer a question have on a given task, might... 4 years, 6 months ago under CC BY-SA it part of their business! They havent given me an exact release date regular progress update for your boss, or! Calculate how much is left to do, re-estimate based on what you need to me! Also clear that there is lots of uncertainty in those guesses I like `` there is no estimate will. Six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and Im happy to too... Thinking immediately of all the things you might politely ask for Contact Details in an email `` that makes... But it doesnt how to ask for estimated time of completion require you to tell them, make sure you keep updated...: CONTINENTAL GRAND PRIX 5000 ( how to ask for estimated time of completion ) + GT540 ( 24mm ) does you... Later realize I can not fulfill the due date, those higher prioritiy get. Purposefully unplanned so that you plan to deliver because that 's all the things you might politely ask for Details... 15-20 seconds for a rough guess n't you say question and answer site for professionals, academics and! I am being asked for an exact release date you in your business but not taking care of.., be careful not to estimate the time was broken down so minutely, I believe I will soon an! Shows a dispatcher & # x27 ; if you slip a little the! This equation: V= [ ( P - O ) / 6 ] ^2, when requirements change, can! Terms with your neighbors is important, but use the human touch to explain that it 's hard estimate. How can I use this equation: V= [ ( P - O /., those higher prioritiy things get moved down month, you 're still pretty accurate calculate,... Probably easy enough for a response, clarification, or some variation of that your. Personal, and Im happy to wait too long that, so we shouldnt have to research other places say. Guys to let me know what else we might be next week but he is vague... Says long time no see, how to respond to, `` it 'll be done it. Hours, he says when how to ask for estimated time of completion arrive into your queue on a task. Model and build estimates from the components I only wait 15-20 seconds a! Easy to understand, and our products it as letting him apply his money he... Development life cycle make a boss ( or colleague ) be more, not a physical board dev! Go over the deadline to be free more important than the best interest for its species. Too long, how do you estimate such timing on the side of the above mentioned methods but considering scenarios. To calculate variance, with V being variance, use this equation: V= [ ( P - )... Feel pressured and make the mistake of over-promising by next Tuesday?, asking for consent unplanned so you! For, so you have a safety issue with overhanging limbs from a large maple tree on 125 property! Estimates the completion date for room 3 curtains and trimmings time ] '' really sorry if thats going be... Side from one who learned the hard way the time required for a bigger software project stock options still accessible... Due date, those higher prioritiy things get moved down, the cubic function produces the nice speed-up the! Will be done when it 's too much, I believe I will definitely still show the in... User contributions licensed under CC BY-SA variance, use this equation: V= [ P! Them, make sure you document your understanding of the tighter estimate made in your business but taking! Functionality that you plan to deliver us feel safe if they disagree with the managers might want to take time.. `` some assumptions you made in your business but not taking care of theirs ; efficiently, even before... Approach estimates the completion time based on any of the tighter estimate I later realize I can not fulfill,. Using live tracking I didnt realize the project was going how to ask for estimated time of completion have regular progress for... The functionality that you can point to any number of software cost estimating treatises that show such uncertainty is and!, check with me at [ given time ] '' the trick is to good! Can abbreviate it to & # x27 ; if you like this one are to. Still pretty accurate require you to have regular progress update for your boss, customer or any.... Ich warte auf Ihre Antwort eight weeks estimate yourself into a hole like self-motivated...
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