3. Why Do We Estimate Anyway?
We estimate for these reasons:
- To provide an order-of-magnitude size/cost/date about the project, so we have a rough idea of the size/cost/date for planning purposes. An order-of-magnitude size means we want to invest just enough time in the estimate that we believe in the accuracy of it for planning purposes.
- We want to know when we will be done, because we are close.
- We need to allocate money or teams of people for some amount of time.
- Someone wants to know who to blame.
Creating a gross estimate can be useful. See Estimating the Unknown: Dates or Budgets to learn how. You can iterate on that estimate, especially as you get closer to completion.
A gross estimate with deliverable milestones can help the organization ...
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