Re:Why software projects take longer than you think – a stat...
by hnzix on Tuesday April 16, 2019 @11:44PM
(#19679595)
> work expands to fill the time available for its completion
Oh, so if I estimate every task as 1 minute I'll finish really quickly?
The 2.4x is to overcome one's innate overoptimism (even if you see yourself as a pessimist), and to add contingency for unplanned complexity, bugs and general overhead.
It's a rule of thumb, not an immutable law, so if one has completed a similar task many times then less padding is needed.
Oh, so if I estimate every task as 1 minute I'll finish really quickly?
The 2.4x is to overcome one's innate overoptimism (even if you see yourself as a pessimist), and to add contingency for unplanned complexity, bugs and general overhead.
It's a rule of thumb, not an immutable law, so if one has completed a similar task many times then less padding is needed.