Under Pressure
The software factory is not a reasonable place, and the temptation to give optimistic estimates is strong. Programmers new to the estimation game are particularly vulnerable. There is pressure from above to promise short schedules so that we can win contracts, announce new releases, maintain internal political stability, and so on. This is an understandable, sad reality; no company exists in a vacuum, and the shareholders want to be kept in caviar and champagne.
But the pressure isn’t entirely from above. It also comes from a programmer’s personal pride. Techies like to promise an optimistic timescale; we are motivated people who are proud of what we deliver and how fast we can do it. It’s tempting to think, “Oh, it shouldn’t take ...
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