Ask HN: How do you do estimates in 2021?

Re:Ask HN: How do you do estimates in 2021? by Leherenn on Sunday September 26, 2021 @05:16PM (#28664740)

> Why does the size of the work that needs to get done matter? If you need it you need it.

Generally, I would agree, but I've seen cases where it mattered, because the value of a feature would become 0 after a set date. For instance, we needed a specific feature to fulfill the requirements for a (massive) contract, and you could only apply for the contract until a specific date. The value of this feature outside this scope was pretty much zero.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you do estimates in 2021? by void_mint on Sunday September 26, 2021 @05:21PM (#28664790)

> Generally, I would agree, but I've seen cases where it mattered, because the value of a feature would become 0 after a set date. For instance, we needed a specific feature to fulfill the requirements for a (massive) contract

As I said, you put it at the top of the backlog and alert the team of a new deadline. You work on it until the deadline. If you make it, great, if not, you move on. Asking for an estimate wouldn't have made you make it, it might've only prevented you from trying.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you do estimates in 2021? by Leherenn on Monday September 27, 2021 @02:28AM (#28667682)

But not trying something very unlikely to succeed sounds valuable to me. Why waste 2 months of engineering time if your engineering team is convinced it will take at least 6 months?

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