How to Become Better Software Estimator?

Here’s what you need to become a better software estimator

Photo by fauxels from Pexels

Estimating is difficult. Estimating software development is even harder.

We all miss estimation targets. We miss at estimation, but also when delivering on time.

Here’s what you can do to improve the software estimates.

Look at previous tickets

Track time. Track time on previous tickets. Use this as a reference point.

Make a map of tickets. Map of story points to tickets. Here’s an example. Refer to this when making estimates.

Take time to process tickets

Estimates given at the coffee machine will (like the coffee) come back to haunt you. — The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master 1st Edition

Estimate with different precision. Days are not enough? Give estimates in weeks and months.

Give rough estimates. Missing the mark then doesn’t look so bad…