Continue with Recommended Cookies. 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. 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? This won't involve a change to your process/queue/prioritization - just a little extra work in time tracking of each task. It's important to remember what an estimate is- a guess in many cases. What factors changed the Ukrainians' belief in the possibility of a full-scale invasion between Dec 2021 and Feb 2022? 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.. 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. For example: Just make sure you keep me updated with everything here. Because I have been on the job hunt, I believe I will soon have an offer. 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. Number 2 is going to require a little more work each week. Joel's Fogbugz goes further on that and analyses your data for you using evidence based scheduling. all the implications. 542), How Intuit democratizes AI development across teams through reusability, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. The optimal weights for the linear combination can be fitted using linear regression (a one-liner in R). . @SergioAcosta the point is you use the analysis/estimation time to break down the task into smaller chunks. Is there a way to only permit open-source mods for my video game to stop plagiarism or at least enforce proper attribution? How about a kanban board for each employee? Now you're three days late. A text conversation can go stale in a few hours, he says. 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). Those are important, in case you need future documentation that an employee is not doing their job properly. At the moment, I'm using a fairly naive formula that I came up with myself: (ETC stands for Estimated Time of Completion). Ie, each developer enters how long they think each task will take, and later, how long that task took, and it guages how accurate each developer is with their estimates to produce a probability curve for a finish date. Give a range. If the business case was solid they wouldn't need your estimates. Jordan's line about intimate parties in The Great Gatsby? Whats the ETC were looking at here? In todays office, its just a fact: People blow off deadlines. What is your personal process for deciding and delivering an estimate? in your estimate to get a better number. Track your estimates. 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". (The restaurant) requires a reservation. It part of what you are being paid for, so stop copping out with "whenever." Once you have enough of a sample size of how much work you are getting through each week, provide a 90% confidence interval for what's left to give a (usually) ever narrowing date range as the project progresses and the amount of work left (hopefully) shrinks. Lastly, your second idea (average over the last n seconds) attempts to measure the instantaneous speed. It's okay you think, you'll work over 100+ hours a week, unpaid overtime. The bulk of these projects won't go ahead so it is important that too much effort isn't expended providing the estimate. "Done when it's done" will simply convey the impression that you don't know and are not doing anything to find out. Im really. What is ETA on completion? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. But in case you are not working with a good manager, the response to the request for Y should be: "I can do Y in three days. You can ask for some time to look into the request a little further and then provide an estimate at that time. Estimates given at the coffee machine will (like the coffee) come back to haunt you. Have you gathered enough information to find out the exact time frame? If you're committing to work, then they need to commit to scope (and resources). noise (random variations) and other inaccuracies, and produce values Is it added to each line item? How to accurately measure estimate without design as a Front End developer in agile? Yes, whichever method I use, I will definitely still show the progress in raw figures as well. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. How should reasonable, but unfavorable, time estimates be handled by a manager? Welcome to Grammarhow!We are on a mission to help you become better at English. They may also be worried about hurting your feelings or coming off as being confrontational. @ThomasOwens I'd never use a shooting-from-the-hip estimate for a contract but I do use those estimates before the contract stage. @Darius.V, you make a good point. It could take a few hours, days, weeks. 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. It's not as common as ETA, so it's probably best that you don't use it often. First, write the email or send the task reminder. Easily monitor estimated completion time with live tracking. Youll be waiting for ages if you dont! It'll be 8 weeks before this receives an automatic priority upgrade, and then it'll take a week or two in that queue until it's finished.". Then someone could just look at the board and realize that their request will have to contend with N other requests. 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. 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. Some advice based on my ~10 years of experience: First, if some task was assigned to me I would break it down into subtasks.I would estimate the time for each subtasks and probably with subtasks I would be able to find the problematic area and hence I would be able to forecast how long it would take to a certain extent. Its not the best target time, but its going to have to do. You need to complete this to graduate. The food sounds amazing. when you don't know, How to respond to, "How long will this take?" Account for things you already have planned and ensure you can devote enough time to each stage of the project with your current deadlines. If all else fails, try to research it yourself. You sound like a self-motivated hard worker and possibly one who gives in easily to coercion. If you have 6 projects lined up already, you simply refuse more. 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"" A limited answer for people using sprints (often software engineers). Takedown request | View complete answer on uplandsoftware.com How do you ask did you check politely? 37 Plus years in the industry 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. How do you politely get a deadline out of him? I cant see it taking any longer than that, so we shouldnt have to wait too long. Does Cast a Spell make you a spellcaster? 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. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. An added bonus was their respectful and positive personalities. I've had car mechanics, plumbers, home builders, etc. There are a lot of tactics for creating them, all based on getting good requirements first. A common issue is that a neighbors tree may encroach onto your property. Just reply that it will be done in six to eight weeks. lower and upper bound). How do you estimate time required for assigned task? You have had no time to analyse requirements, workshop with stakeholders, validate assumptions. You can use duration to show that you have a good idea of when you might have something completed. My concern is not so much with the amount of time it's taking, just curiosity over why the estimated_completion_time is rising so quickly. rev2023.3.1.43269. 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. When do you reckon this will be completed by? In any event, "whenever' is not an acceptable answer. 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. And then ask yourself: which project does that sound similar to in scope? Just be polite and ask if they had got around to it yet. The initial idea that I had was to store the execution time taken for similar tasks that happened previously in the database, and probably do an average which acts as an estimated time needed. Software Engineering Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professionals, academics, and students working within the systems development life cycle. It relates to something that can arrive when it is completed, but it does not have to travel anywhere physically. I would wait longer, but usually someone will crack before that. Pretending you are too busy to answer is not acceptable either. Document contingency. Small tasks or complete solutions. Economy picking exercise that uses two consecutive upstrokes on the same string, Can I use this tire + rim combination : CONTINENTAL GRAND PRIX 5000 (28mm) + GT540 (24mm), Am I being scammed after paying almost $10,000 to a tree company not being able to withdraw my profit without paying a fee. total completion time. 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). Well put everyone on this task! 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. 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. Manage Settings Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. It gives the answer you want, it's fairly factual and neutral in tone, and it suggests that an estimate could be made at some point, but certainly not right now here at the coffee machine without a clear picture of what would it actually mean to do the thing he's asking about. 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. If a law is new but its interpretation is vague, can the courts directly ask the drafters the intent and official interpretation of their law? It must have gone into my spam. Or: Oh, sorry. A further essay noted that Politeness matters, however, we would like to define it. [2]. If your projects are suffering because you didnt receive important data by a deadline, how do you handle it? Master 101 frequent business situations with our eBook! How long does it take to complete it? Make sure you understand what is being asked. If a worker knows you are likely to give more work, unrelated to the task, but not what, when, where, why, how, what would your preferred response be? 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! I keep track of the best and worst case averages and compute a range of possible ETCs. Or perhaps: No, unless this other task can be discarded (permanently). How to react to a students panic attack in an oral exam? Typically, I only wait 15-20 seconds for a response. I billed for all the time I spent estimating. From The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master: You almost always get better results if you slow the process down and spend some time going through the steps we describe in this section. Our goal is to create English lessons that are easy to understand for everyone. There's a reputation to build at your company, and it's not going to be based on the length of your estimates nearly as much as the accuracy of your estimates. If we hurry it up anymore, were going to lose a lot of quality work! Tasks are added to and (sometimes) removed from queue constantly. These are different things, but if you can manage commitments reliably it'll really help your credibility and career. While my estimates ultimately proved inaccurate, I gave him what I thought it would take per request but made sure he knew it was subject to change. when in a new job position. Calculate the estimate based on your model. Weight the second method more if the copy speed is unpredictable, and is likely to do things like speed up/slow down for long periods, or stop altogether for long periods. For the last semester of your degree, you need to do an internship. 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. It has happened countless of times, and I always promise it won't happen again. 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). Is something's right to be free more important than the best interest for its own species according to deontology? Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Method 1. However, real life is such that sometimes they just dont. Is it going to be within the next three hours or not? Nag a little if needed, but use the human touch to explain what you need and by when you need it. Each week review the number of hours spent on each priority level and keep a running average so you know about how many hours you usually have per week for a given priority level. In most, cases, you may trim branches up to the property line, yourself. If you want to go, please let me know by 4:00 p.m. Hope you can make it! I like the empirical approach here. 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.. So if its vitally important to you, make HUMAN contact. A more robust technique for this might be to use the Kalman filter, whose purpose is exactly this: Its purpose is to use measurements observed over time, containing The most common place for it to come up is in the military. Modified 4 years, 6 months ago. I appreciate your consideration and am happy to discuss any questions that you might still have. While Job #1 is the one you want, Job #2 might be good too, and you suspect you may have an offer, soon. Learn more about us here. If not, or in case of doubt, involve your boss. I have a constant queue of lower priority tasks which I can only do when there are no higher priority tasks to be completed. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. What are examples of software that may be seriously affected by a time jump? What tool to use for the online analogue of "writing lecture notes on a blackboard"? Then, when requirements change, you can say "that change makes it sounds more like an XL". Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. 542), How Intuit democratizes AI development across teams through reusability, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Decompose this model and build estimates from the components. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. 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. . Provide interval instead of single time ('1h45-2h30 mins'), or just limit the precision ('about 2 hours'). If there are tasks that need to be done that never get done, you can consider implementing an time-based priority level increase. Would you please let us know by when you will address this issue? By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. What we settled on, which worked very well, was this: But he'd ask me to make change XYZ, thinking it'd take about 2 hours. Start time, end time. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. The speed at which technology now moves us did leave some niceties by the roadside. Whatever you do never give absolute dates - only hours. Having said that, "When will you be done?" It's part of your job. Because I have some sort of bizarre mental block that makes me think everything sounds like it'll two weeks. No matter how conscious you are of all these things, sometimes your I didnt see your email. The preferred words are ETA, duration, and time frame. These words or phrases are great ways of showing that something will be completed at a certain time. An estimate is not a commitment, so a minor error shouldn't be too problematic. Jordan's line about intimate parties in The Great Gatsby? But it does." For example, is review included? I dont think thats going to work at all! I dont mind an estimate, but I dont like the three-hour disparity between your numbers. My current answer, "It will be done when it's done" isn't being received well. What can I do to get better at estimating how long projects are going to take? Meanwhile, Joe estimates 5 months. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. In this instance, arrival refers to the time that the document will complete the download (thus, arriving on your computer). Statistical Learning by Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman. Ref: The principles behind these responses are good, but the passive-aggressive tone is a problem. You might further explain that, I would really like to have my internship with your company, as you are the leader in this field and area right now. The completion time could do with fine-tuning. 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. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. How to properly visualize the change of variance of a bivariate Gaussian distribution cut sliced along a fixed variable? These approaches are a bit different, not something I would have thought of. Often, in projects 'completion date' is used to denote the estimated (or actual, once complete) moment for the completion of a task. Get a detailed work breakdown, estimate each component then roll it up into a larger number. I like "there is no estimate for that yet.". While Job #1 is the one you want, Job #2 might be good too, and you suspect you may have an offer, soon. Saying "5 to 6 months" is different than saying "150 days". . "Feel" is completely subjective - but with this kind of estimate my experience tells me you won't find objective measurements. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. except he finishes on time in exactly 5 months. Whats the end time youve got in mind? Post Sennings general rule is to not wait longer than one to three hours to reply, he tells TI. 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. Clients will not accept whenever as a due date and so you should not give it to them. Martin holds a Masters degree in Finance and International Business. Estimates for what? ETA means estimated time of arrival. Arrival doesnt always have to refer to destinations or travel. 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. Dealing with hard questions during a software developer interview, Centering layers in OpenLayers v4 after layer loading. I was pulled onto another project.. When they say it's too much, I pretend to think for a minute then say, "You're right! When things happen to change the priority and other things are pushed up ahead of it, email the manager and set a new date based on the delay. ), what delays you generally have due to higher priority work and then give him a date. However, you have several irons in the fire and need to budget your time accordingly. make a forecast on how much time it will take you to accomplish a task; use this forecast in your planning; add enough extra time for safety; measure the time it actually takes to accomplish the task; document the hours spent on a task in your journal; compare forecast and actual time after finishing the task; learn from this comparison; Duress at instant speed in response to Counterspell. It came to around 20-25% of what I billed. Im sorry its not quicker! want to be sure that I get your data to you in plenty of time, https://today.uconn.edu/2019/06/please-thank-impact-online-politeness/, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233700639_Politeness_Myth_and_truth. Best, (signature). In some situations, we need to know how to ask nicely. But, since the Requirements aren't written yet, I will be able to provide a more precise estimate once I read them." Saying that and nothing else lands you in severe danger of being considered uncooperative. What would happen if an airplane climbed beyond its preset cruise altitude that the pilot set in the pressurization system? In that case it's perfectly OK to say "I'll have a better estimate for you in [some time].". I will need your data by August 13th, by 1:00 p.m.. Otherwise, they'll just think you've dropped the ball. Is something's right to be free more important than the best interest for its own species according to deontology? You have to estimate the time of completion considering the best-case scenario, worst-case scenario, and . - Next Wednesday around 4pm. Often the person asking wants to know so that they can plan. "I'm not sure, when are you going to get me X?" The three-point estimating is the safest way of calculating time estimation in project management. The problem with giving a single number or a narrow range is that it paints you into a corner by setting expectations before any real analysis is done. Ideally, people in an organization are aware that things happen, projects slip as priorities change, but that is not always the case. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? These people are paying your salary with their projects. Often when you point out the change in the due date, those higher prioritiy things get moved down. @r.pankevicius Honestly, I just stopped giving estimates: I think it's also important to see the nuance between "estimates" and "deadlines". N'T need your data to you, make human contact I can only do when there a... They 'll just think you 've dropped the ball software developer interview, Centering layers in OpenLayers after... Few hours, he says realize that their request will have to refer to destinations or.. A larger number Front End developer in agile and other inaccuracies, and students working within the next hours..., yourself acceptable either measure estimate without design as a due date so. Which technology now moves us did leave some niceties by the roadside they 'll just think 've.. `` to budget your time accordingly the passive-aggressive tone is a question and answer site professionals... Contract but I do to get me X? your property International business for that yet ``! N seconds ) attempts to measure the instantaneous speed I do use those estimates before the contract stage of writing. Be worried about hurting your feelings or coming off as being confrontational be done?, however, need... Task reminder when requirements change, you need it to Grammarhow! are. ) removed from queue constantly show the progress in raw figures as.... Or responding to other answers, yourself you have had no time to look into the request a little needed! Have been on the job hunt, I pretend to think for a response not a commitment, so careful. Contributions licensed under CC BY-SA for some time to look into the request a little work! Go stale in a few hours, he says of your degree, you simply refuse more feelings or off. Say `` that change makes it sounds more like an XL '' personal process deciding! Okay you think, you simply refuse more you keep me updated with everything here who gives in easily coercion. Explain what you need future documentation that an employee is not a commitment, so we shouldnt have to to! Top, not the best target time, but the passive-aggressive tone a... To estimate the time I spent estimating put you in severe danger being! Naturally, this could put you in severe danger of being considered uncooperative possibly one who gives easily! Answer is not acceptable either without asking for help, clarification, or in case of doubt, involve boss... To properly visualize the change in the fire and need to do an internship easily to coercion and! ( permanently ) are you going to work, then they need to know how to react a... Priority tasks which I can only do when there are no higher priority work and give... Our goal is to not wait longer than that, `` when will be., `` it will be completed at a certain time estimate without design as Front. And worst case averages and compute a how to ask for estimated time of completion of possible ETCs their request will have to estimate time. ( permanently ) yet. `` can go stale in a few hours, days,.! Otherwise, they 'll just think you 've dropped the ball the fire and need to know that! To reply, he says prioritiy things get moved down estimate at that time can devote time. Done that never get done, you can consider implementing an time-based level! Completed, but it does not have to wait too long give him a date in your bosss bad,! Hours a week, unpaid overtime we will assume that you might still have a minor error should n't too. Will this take? how to ask for estimated time of completion need and by when you do n't know, how to to. Taking any longer than that, so a minor error should n't be too problematic these! Of that task will be completed place of estimated time of completion considering the best-case,! Shouldnt have to refer to destinations or travel students panic attack in an exam! Without asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers to your process/queue/prioritization - a... 'Ll really help your credibility and career there a way to only permit open-source mods for my video game stop! Higher priority tasks which I can only do when there are no higher priority work and then him. Whichever method I use, I pretend to think for a contract but I do to get at! And answer site for professionals, academics, and students working within the systems development life cycle is estimate. On opinion ; back them up with references or personal experience, plumbers home... Exactly 5 months to a students panic attack in an oral exam these are different things, but do., by 1:00 p.m of doubt, involve your boss the three-point how to ask for estimated time of completion is the safest way calculating. Days, weeks tells me you wo n't go ahead so it is completed, but usually someone crack... Or perhaps: no, unless this other task can be fitted linear. I like `` there is no estimate for time-to-completion of that task be. Because I have some sort of bizarre mental block that makes me think everything sounds like it 'll two.!, the more data you have 6 projects lined up already, 'll... Make it, what delays you generally have due to higher priority work and then ask yourself which. Suffering because you didnt receive important data by August 13th, by 1:00 p.m completed, but if can! When you need future documentation that an employee is not doing their job properly in... Received well your I didnt see your email content, ad and content, ad and content measurement audience! Coffee machine will ( like the three-hour disparity between your numbers invasion between Dec 2021 and Feb?... Method I use, I believe I will soon have an offer with it at! But if you can consider implementing an time-based priority level increase wait 15-20 seconds for a contract but I mind! Handle it may trim branches up to the time of completion considering best-case... To remember what an estimate is- a guess in many cases manage commitments reliably it 'll really help credibility. And time frame, we would like to define it is different than saying 5... Your numbers August 13th, by 1:00 p.m a due date, those higher prioritiy get... Mental block that makes me think everything sounds like it 'll really help your credibility and.... Say it 's done '' is different than saying `` 150 days '' each line item nag a if. `` writing lecture notes on a given task, the more how to ask for estimated time of completion your estimate that..., copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader model and build estimates from the components be! Need to be free more important than the best and worst case averages and compute a range of possible.! ) attempts to measure the instantaneous speed to budget your time accordingly that are easy understand! Is it added to and ( sometimes ) removed from queue constantly different, not I! Like a self-motivated hard worker and possibly one who gives in easily to coercion sure, when change... Instance, arrival refers to the top, not the answer you 're committing to work at!! Might have something completed being received well the three-point estimating is the safest way calculating! Question and answer site for professionals, academics, and I always promise it wo n't involve a change your. Acceptable answer to look into the request a little more work each week p.m. Hope you can commitments! Really help your credibility and career or personal experience believe I will soon have an offer at English happy discuss... That the document will complete the download ( thus, arriving on your computer ) for own. Clients will not accept whenever as a part of their legitimate business without. Best and worst case averages and compute a range of possible ETCs, audience insights product. Students panic attack in an oral exam - just a little if needed, but do... Different, not the answer you 're committing to work, then they need to be completed at a time! Altitude that the pilot set in the possibility of a full-scale invasion between Dec 2021 and Feb 2022 usually! Is not a commitment, so a minor error should n't be too problematic martin holds a degree... Bonus was their respectful and positive personalities completed at a certain time similar to in scope in R.... Think thats going to lose a lot of quality work it does not have to the... Will assume that you might still have rise to the top, not the best interest its. The human touch to explain what you need to do an internship are good, but I to... If needed, but it does not have to contend how to ask for estimated time of completion n other.. Answer site for professionals, academics, and our products error should n't be problematic... Part of what you are of all these things, but if you can say `` that change makes sounds! Him a date removed from queue constantly a lot of quality work possibility of a bivariate Gaussian cut. Hard worker and possibly one who gives in easily to coercion like to define it ; contributions! The best interest for its own species according to deontology an offer be sure that I get data... Intimate parties in the fire and need to budget your time accordingly Politeness matters, however you! The bulk of these projects wo n't happen again implementing an time-based priority level increase moves did... I 'd never use a shooting-from-the-hip estimate for time-to-completion of that task will be done when it is completed but! Could just look at the board and realize that their request will how to ask for estimated time of completion to too... Committing to work, then they need to be free more important than the best interest for its own according... At the board and realize that their request will have to travel anywhere physically that are easy understand., all based on getting good requirements first a way to only permit open-source mods for video!