Software Architect's Handbook

Being a realist (or even a pessimist)

People who provide estimates are optimists, realists, or pessimists. If you are generally an optimist, or the other individuals who are working with you to come up with the estimates are generally optimists, consider making a conscious effort to be more of a realist or pessimist. Think about what could become challenging about the work, and make sure you are not leaving anything out when considering your estimate. Your knowledge and experience as a software architect, along with the proper approach, is what is necessary to produce a useful estimate.