Case: Is This Worth Starting?

There are many ways that projects get started, and most of them have some explicit step where a decision is made on some quantifiable criteria. Sure, there are times where the decision is made implicitly, based on some hunch or on the relative power of the person who wants the project. Usually organizations at least want to justify such decisions with some more defensible rationale. And it’s in those explicit decision steps where estimates play a part.

Let’s look at some of the criteria for these decisions.

Return on Investment

A fundamental question for investment is “Will this provide more value than it costs?” If so, it’s quickly followed by “How much more?” and we weigh the benefits and costs. Not all benefits ...

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