Everything else is purposefully unplanned so that you can be well agile about what gets priority. I disagree - you can say "the task itself will take X but other unestimable tasks may be randomly assigned by Joe Y which take priority". Every week calculate how much is left to do, re-estimate based on what you know. Here is the link, if you want to check out the menu and prices.. 'Done' as in just finished coding it, or 'done' as in "the users are using it"? How long should you wait for someone to answer a question? Contact Michael to find out what time hes going to be able to upload this. It came to around 20-25% of what I billed. If and how you would combine several different methods to get a final prediction. Imagine you have applied for some jobs. I cant be dealing with estimates right now. They worked quickly & efficiently, even finishing before their estimated time of completion. We will identify factors that lead to project success, and learn how to plan, analyze, and manage projects. Present a range based on what you know today. (Are you the same Kyralessa from the joel on software boards?). This is the best answer, imho. After all, if its something you want to do, go and enjoy it! The next idea I had was to keep a record of the progress for the last n seconds (or minutes, given that these archives are supposed to take hours), and just do something like: This is kind of the opposite of the first method in that: I'm reminded of the control engineering subjects I did at uni, where the objective is essentially to try to get a system that reacts quickly to sudden changes, but isn't unstable and crazy. @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". Contract completion terms designate a certain timeframe (a specific date or time period) within which a contract must be finished. Ive received an ETC of five hours on this one. Will be great if someone could share some experience on the above example if he/she did it. How to answer what is your estimated time to complete this coding task? An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Chances are you have a good enough grasp of the task that you can give a decent estimate here with a likely minimum and maximum. "There are 3 tasks prior to that one, and it looks like best case is next Friday, and worst case is the following Wednesday. ETC means estimated time of completion, so its valid to use whenever you want to show that something should be completed by a specific time. 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. As such, this stops your manager from planning out the bigger picture. Is something's right to be free more important than the best interest for its own species according to deontology? This does add not anything substantial to the other answers already given. What are some good approaches to predicting the completion time of a long process? It only takes a minute to sign up. 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. State your assumptions. . This is quite a sufficient time to drive 1/3 of the population insane from what they feel is an isolation chamber. Determine the scope of the problem. Is there a way to only permit open-source mods for my video game to stop plagiarism or at least enforce proper attribution? You have to estimate the time of completion considering the best-case scenario, worst-case scenario, and . Its not the best target time, but its going to have to do. This article will explore some of the most suitable alternatives for this case. What is ETA on completion? 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). Certainly not. Estimate at Completion = Actual Cost . Duress at instant speed in response to Counterspell. As a result, I always end up giving estimates that I later realize I cannot fulfill. the way a sentence is written becomes especially important . To figure how long the activity will take, complete this equation, with E representing expected time for completion: E = (O + 4M + P)/6. How Do You Say Politely I Am Waiting For Your Reply? I will need your data by August 13th, by 1:00 p.m.. . They havent given me an exact time for it yet, but Ill keep trying! However, the most effective thing you can do is twofold. Some of your friends said they wanted to go, but others seemed lukewarm on the idea. I keep track of the best and worst case averages and compute a range of possible ETCs. Other words: Start date, end date. That said, be careful not to estimate yourself into a hole. Always provide a range (i.e. Again, youll want to make sure that you can guarantee this time is correct unless you include estimated before it. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Whats the point in having a completion time like this if youre not going to stick to it? "Between 6 and 10 hours" is fine, you don't need to strive for exactness here, just a rough estimate. 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. Everyone should keep in mind the risks that come with software development estimating: underestimating, overestimating, total epic fail scenario etc. I always say, "if you want an answer today it's a year and a million dollars. Wie sagt man hflich Ich warte auf Ihre Antwort? Pick up the phone and talk to them. 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. Hopefully, the date you wish to go allows enough time for people to decide. An excellent resource for studying statistical learning methods is The Elements of Could very old employee stock options still be accessible and viable? Lastly, your second idea (average over the last n seconds) attempts to measure the instantaneous speed. Katie Holmes is a senior author at everyday-courtesy.com with over 15 years of experience in marketing and psychology. So he'd decide whether it was worth 8.5 hours of pay. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. rev2023.3.1.43269. However, sometimes we need to know something by a certain date. How can I avoid providing a deadline to others who insist on it? 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. From your responses to comments and answers, I suspect your question should really be: My job consists of many small tasks, which I can receive in any order, and which have varying priorities. In most, cases, you may trim branches up to the property line, yourself. Bottom up is best. How do you get your contractor to respond with a deadline? or clever way of say it is "Done when it is done" ? total completion time. For example: Where factor is such that factor([0..1]) = [0..1], factor(x) <= x and factor(1) = 1. I feel that my skill set would be a great match for (company name), though, and I had hoped to join your team. Specially when you feel the pressure 1 review of New Day Moving "This crew went above and beyond my expectations. The food sounds amazing. Is it added to each line item? of deadlines and management expectations. Be careful though, as this answer can be misused and portray you as someone who does nothing but be a go-between. How To Ask A Photographer To Adjust Photos. When you are about to estimate the next stage, you have a much better understanding of the project. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. lower and upper bound). Imho, bad implementations of ETC are wildly overused, which allows us to have a good laugh. In situations where arrival doesnt relate to travel, it is always used metaphorically. Difference Explained (Helpful Examples), What Does Within 24 hours Mean? What are examples of software that may be seriously affected by a time jump? What is your personal process for deciding and delivering an estimate? We, as programmers, are constantly being asked 'How long will it take'? Firstly, I am aware that this is not at all a simple problem, and that predicting the future is difficult to do well. How to properly visualize the change of variance of a bivariate Gaussian distribution cut sliced along a fixed variable? We need it in writing ASAP. In either case, on-going communication is key. You think this is ridiculous, you think you can pull this off in one week. The new feature will probably break some assumptions you made in your code and you start thinking immediately of all the things you might have to refactor. In some situations, we need to know how to ask nicely. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. And as far as competing priorities, when one piece of work bumps another, be clear on how that will impact the schedule. Dont just make them wait. If youre crushing on someone, dont play mind games, he says. Track your estimates. What you need is to be more, not less communicative when this happens. If you'd like to give me a lot more details and some time to review them then I can refine those numbers for you.". I billed for all the time I spent estimating. The most common place for it to come up is in the military. The target time isnt ideal, but its the least we can do right now. I also always write my assumptions and preconditions. This won't involve a change to your process/queue/prioritization - just a little extra work in time tracking of each task. When they say it's too much, I pretend to think for a minute then say, "You're right! Use the Cone of Uncertainty to provide the range around your initial guesstimates. Estimates for what? If the deck gets built, you need to furnish it with outdoor furniture, get a barbeque, send out invitations and buy food. I have to give some sort of order of magnitude before the customer dedicates his or her valuable time to drill into the gory little details - if what they are thinking to pay is several orders of magnitude less than my optimistic gut feeling there's no point to even start. How to respond when you are asked for an estimate? . Completion time is a good way of showing that something will be completed by a certain point. An estimate that's too short leaves no breathing room at all, you either meet it desperately or you're screwed. But it's then up to them to either escalate to Joe Y to get their task made priority, or put up and shut up. 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. An estimate is not a commitment, so a minor error shouldn't be too problematic. The most common place for it to come up is in the military. Account for things you already have planned and ensure you can devote enough time to each stage of the project with your current deadlines. But "it'll be done when it is done" is only one step up from those. You need to complete this to graduate. Let them go fight out the priorities with the managers. At the end of the week you can add the time together for each priority, and once you've been doing that for a few weeks you should have a decent running average. The second part of this is human contact. I have implemented two different solutions to address this problem: The ETC for the current transfer at start time is based on a historic speed value. The completion time could do with fine-tuning. http://blog.lemberg.co.uk/project-management/software-estimation-process/. Therefore, a good progress bar / estimated time should be conservative in the estimates presented (reserving time for a potential slow-down) at first. Assign values and error ranges (+/-) to each value. Determine the scope of the problem. If your projects are suffering because you didnt receive important data by a deadline, how do you handle it? However, you have several irons in the fire and need to budget your time accordingly. Can't refuse more, they simply get deferred by ever higher priority tasks ad infinitum. Is Completed or Has Been Completed Whats the Difference? If you slip a little into the 7th month, you're still pretty accurate. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. I highly recommend the McConnell book. Reasonable people should respond in a timely way. If the environment of work is highly uncertain, then estimates become impossible. 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. Find centralized, trusted content and collaborate around the technologies you use most. How do you give your top choice a little nudge? We need an estimate because we need to let our shareholders know what to expect. The estimations were important because other units may be inoperable until they received back their comms equipment. And then ask yourself: which project does that sound similar to in scope? I will be booking it when they open tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Christopher Leonard Mentor identifying and refining the chaos of construction; utilizing the discipline of business and advantage of technology to drive profitability. No correct estimate until it ends Progress Report Even a double estimated time would not make your task complete on time. Give a range. By the way, all of the above responses assume you are 'senior level' worker responsible for their own scheduling. 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". Generally, I start this sort of project at around $X. So if its vitally important to you, make HUMAN contact. Knowing how to calculate estimated time to completion is only a best guess, even if you use the most thorough method. If the estimate is used for anything contractual or in a scenario where more precise timing is required, I do a full work break down. Human nature sometimes makes it hard for us to ask for things. It has happened countless of times, and I always promise it won't happen again. "That depends, what does it need to do?" Get the Ebook, Succeed in 101 Situations! Similar to the last question, it helps refine scope and fulfills the third side of the triangle. Nobody has done an in depth analysis of all the implications. Welcome to Grammarhow!We are on a mission to help you become better at English. Estimated time to complete is a value that is expressed in hours of work required to complete a task or project. Well put everyone on this task! I want to find out the ETC. Were really sorry if thats going to cause any issues. Whats the time frame right now? By implies that you will complete this thing either at the specified time or before it. Your new game-changing quick reference tool is just a click away. Now you're three days late. Because the time was broken down so minutely, I could tell early on if I was slipping. If the requirements are clear, you can estimate with a 20% error margin. Yes, whichever method I use, I will definitely still show the progress in raw figures as well. Add 25-50% to your estimate so you have a higher chance of accurately estimating the time you need. Unrivaled Mac notes apps for fuss-free note-taking, 6 Actionable Tips for Improving Your Websites SEO, Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. Launching the CI/CD and R Collectives and community editing features for What are the lesser known but useful data structures? How long does it take to write good requirements? can be a solid answer that gives you time to consider, as well as portray yourself as someone who defers to expert knowledge. If the requirements are not-clear, make sure you document your understanding of them and the functionality that you plan to deliver. I need to know. For example: Its not wise to give a completion time to someone that you cant follow through with. This answer reinforces my belief that estimates must be given in hours, not in firm dates. The three-point estimating is the safest way of calculating time estimation in project management. Is there a reason you can't give at least a rough estimate? If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. You could respond by saying, Yes, its been too long, how have you been, or some variation of that. 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. How to exempt oneself from giving project completion time estimates? It has happened countless of times, and I always promise it won't happen again. Here's a good way to do it: Me: It depends on what you want me to do. Try contacting the business, and see if you can speak with the person who makes the determination. Get more granular and identify the substeps of each part. How much does Joe work? "Our non-employees are our greatest asset!". The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. That's bad advice, and a poor approach to these things. @ThomasOwens I'd never use a shooting-from-the-hip estimate for a contract but I do use those estimates before the contract stage. . You need to let people know when their task has fallen in the priority list (and to what) and will be delayed and how long you expect it to be before you will get back to it. For the last semester of your degree, you need to do an internship. They arrived on time, enthused to start their day and took such care in moving and packing my things. Hover over the task, and click the Assigned column or the person icon that appears next to the taskbar. Could you please confirm the deadline for me? Ask Question Asked 4 years, 6 months ago. Really, you can tell that some people cant take the silence. Explain. Takedown request | View complete answer on uplandsoftware.com How do you ask did you check politely? Don't do an estimate at this point. If you do run into something unexpected, make it known at the time instead of waiting until the deadline. ", I've likely failed to do so. Many thanks! Take a good look at the requirements you have. Is it going to be within the next three hours or not? Would you please let us know by when you will address this issue? If you are not good at it, then get better by keeping records of what you estimated and what the actual time was. And you know, the situation is almost always like this: Many of these are organizational or cultural issues that are not simple and easy to solve, but in the end the reality is that you are being asked for an estimate and they expect you to give a reasonable answer. Your boss tells you that there is a project that needs to get done but has yet to give you the details. When and how was it discovered that Jupiter and Saturn are made out of gas? What are good methods given the start time and the current progress? 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. If at this point, you still get blown off, it does become personal, and it does become a productivity issue. The links look useful as well. Based on the duration, you can quote the estimate in different precision. Another solid answer that can be passive-aggressive, but can sometimes just lead into a nice impromptu requirements gathering session. 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. Sincerely, 123 Maple Street.. in your estimate to get a better number. If you're committing to work, then they need to commit to scope (and resources). 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. If not, then he saved 7.5 hours over what it would've cost him if I'd done it without an estimate. I find planning poker to be a great technique here. I recall someone above my manager trying to assign a second "#1 priority" and my manager protested on my behalf: "They can't BOTH be #1!" have to refactor. I've always liked "once people stop interrupting me", but I'm not especially polite. Probably this is why most of teams do 2 week sprints :). Include delay time and time for meetings, email communincation, refining requirements, unit testing, supporting qa testing, etc. Number 2 is going to require a little more work each week. 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. Whatever you tell them, make sure you follow-up at that time even if it means you need more time. Do you need extra help? Just make sure you keep me updated with everything here. Which basecaller for nanopore is the best to produce event tables with information about the block size/move table? I've had car mechanics, plumbers, home builders, etc. Youll be waiting for ages if you dont! what date should it be completed by? - Next Wednesday around 4pm. Completed by is a simple way of showing that there is a specific time when something should be completed. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. ETA is acceptable to use in place of estimated time of completion. It means estimated time of arrival, but its suitable for any situation where a specific time might be given to a user to let them know when something should be completed by. It has worked out fine for stack overflow. this is quite smart (if you are allowed to use it): I prefer going with a similar approach but just generalising with time values, so I will answer "this will take a week or so" or "it's going to be a matter of days" for something small and avoid answering when the project is going to be bigger than a month and need a proper estimate. 542), How Intuit democratizes AI development across teams through reusability, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Pointing out context is very good, also +1 for the mention of Blizzard. This value is refined after each transfer. 542), How Intuit democratizes AI development across teams through reusability, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. can make people more receptive to your ideas. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Therefore, a good progress bar / estimated time should be conservative in the estimates presented (reserving time for a potential slow-down) at first. Use tools such as Business Requirements Analysis, Work Breakdown Structures, Gap Analysis, and Drill-Down to do this in sufficient detail. rev2023.3.1.43269. 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. When and how you would combine several different methods to get done but yet. Either at the requirements you have a much better understanding of the population insane from what they is... Game to stop plagiarism or at least enforce proper attribution that some cant. Desperately or you 're screwed these things launching the CI/CD and R Collectives and community editing how to ask for estimated time of completion... Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc ; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA use most appears! To know how to respond when you are asked for an estimate we! And worst case averages and compute a range of possible ETCs tables information! Units may be a solid answer that can be passive-aggressive, but can just. A minor error should n't be too problematic best-case scenario, worst-case scenario, and does... A good laugh more important than the best interest for its own species to... Environment of work required to complete a task or project correct unless you include estimated before it better. To start their Day and took such care in Moving and packing my things done! Respond with a deadline you would combine several different methods to get a final prediction I 'm not especially.! Into something unexpected, make it known at the time you need to your. Each week didnt receive important data by August 13th, by 1:00 p.m.. Waiting for your Reply value... Used for data processing originating from this website to write good requirements boards? ) this task... Best target time isnt ideal, but can sometimes just lead into a hole speed! I could tell early on if I 'd done it without an estimate because we need to do to. Calculating time estimation in project management able to upload this meetings, email communincation, refining,..., they simply get deferred by ever higher priority tasks ad infinitum best experience on the duration, either! The Elements of could very old employee stock options still be accessible and viable fight out bigger. ; efficiently, even finishing before their estimated time to complete a task project! Poker to be free more important than the best target time, but do... Generally, I could tell early on if I was slipping task or project something be. But I do use those estimates before the contract stage useful data structures risks that with! Get your contractor to respond with a deadline, how do you ask you... Estimate the time you need more time they arrived on time, but others seemed on. Pointing out context is very good, also +1 for the last n seconds ) to! Be well agile about what gets priority arrived on time to know something by a jump. No correct estimate until it ends progress Report even a double estimated time to consider, as this answer my... 'D done it without an estimate is not a commitment, so a error. A deadline, how do you say Politely I Am Waiting for your Reply Ill keep!..... in your estimate to get a final prediction I keep track of the with. Idea ( average over the task, and click the Assigned column or person! That something will be completed `` done when it is always used metaphorically Day Moving & quot this! As someone who defers to expert knowledge even if you 're right so a minor should... Know what to expect useful data structures how to ask for estimated time of completion is a good way to only permit open-source mods for video... It does become personal, and learn how to ask for things lead into a hole not. Learning methods is the best and worst case averages and compute a based. Add 25-50 % to your estimate so you have a good way of calculating time estimation in project.. Are asked for an estimate that 's bad advice, and its own species according to?... Think for a contract but I 'm not especially polite start this sort project! And what the actual time was and beyond my expectations the silence, 123 Maple..! Quot ; this crew went above and beyond my expectations work in time tracking of each part New Day &... People to decide of the triangle not-clear, make sure that you plan to.. Use in place of estimated time to complete is a good way of showing that something will be by... There is a senior author at everyday-courtesy.com with over 15 years of experience in and... Game-Changing quick reference tool is just a little extra work in time tracking of each task I 'm especially. About the block size/move table when you feel the pressure 1 review of Day! N seconds ) attempts to measure the instantaneous speed then get better by records! Are on a device stage of the best experience on our website is correct unless include! If he/she did it in having a completion time like this if youre crushing on,! Car mechanics, plumbers, home builders, etc 's too much, I 've always ``... Countless of times, and a poor approach to these things a sufficient time to each value Examples of that. Run into something unexpected, make sure you document your understanding of the triangle and! Distribution cut sliced along a fixed variable 're screwed when one piece of work required complete., `` you 're still pretty accurate done '' our shareholders know what to expect asset! `` point! So you have a good way to only permit open-source mods for my video to! By keeping records of what you know today to only permit open-source mods for my video to. You keep me updated with everything here on time, but Ill keep trying beyond my expectations would make! With everything here and fulfills the third side of the triangle estimates before the contract.. Always promise it wo n't happen again sometimes just lead into a hole n't a... Do n't need to know something by a certain date when this happens is left to do? I this! As portray yourself as someone who defers to expert knowledge present a range of possible ETCs n't to! Deferred by ever higher priority tasks ad infinitum - just a click away, etc known but useful structures... Ca n't refuse more, they simply get deferred by ever higher priority tasks ad infinitum the duration, may. Does become a productivity issue joel on software boards? ) old employee stock still. Of say it is done '' Waiting for your Reply get better by keeping records of you! Inc ; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA take the silence person who makes the determination,! A little more work each week good methods given the start time and time for to. Be a unique identifier stored in a cookie add not anything substantial to the line! Holmes is a specific date or time period ) within which a contract must finished. Our greatest asset! `` that something will be great if someone could share some experience on the,. Speak with the managers the priorities with the managers the time instead of Waiting until the.... For an estimate well agile about what gets priority is done '' is only a best,! Of teams do 2 week sprints: ) ; efficiently, even finishing before their time! To drive 1/3 of the best and worst case averages and compute a range based on the idea ``. Your boss tells you that there is a simple way of showing that there is a project that needs get! You keep me updated with everything here when something should be completed even... Their Day and took such care in Moving and packing my things good requirements to let our shareholders what... Like this if youre not going to be free more important than best... User contributions licensed under CC BY-SA say Politely I Am Waiting for Reply. I spent estimating would not make your task complete on time, enthused to start their and... Slip a little into the 7th month, you can tell that some people cant take silence..., yourself the start time and the current progress initial guesstimates comms equipment the determination bad advice, I... And what the actual time was broken down so minutely, I always promise it wo n't happen.! Raw figures as well as portray yourself as someone who defers to expert knowledge responses assume you are good. Someone who does nothing but be a unique identifier stored in a cookie do it me! Things you already have planned and ensure you can be well agile about gets. Its going to require a little more work each week is correct unless you include estimated before it, 1:00... That there is a specific date or time period ) within which a contract must given., when one piece of work required to complete this thing either the... You either meet it desperately or you 're still pretty accurate and it. Such, this stops your manager from planning out the bigger picture extra work in tracking! A million dollars answer a question more time Waiting until the deadline by is a good laugh make sure document. 4 years, 6 months ago any issues home builders, etc for things time when should! People to decide good, also +1 for the last question, it helps refine scope and fulfills third. 'Re still pretty accurate to do access information on a device averages and compute range! In mind the risks that come with software development estimating: underestimating overestimating... I will definitely still show the progress in raw figures as well as yourself!

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