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Subject:Re: IS AN ESTIMATE A COMMITMENT? -Reply From:Lisa Comeau <COMEAUL -at- CSA -dot- CA> Date:Fri, 12 Jun 1998 16:07:02 -0400
When you estimate how much sugar to put in a cake, and you're not an experienced baker, does the cake turn out perfect? even good?
But when you've been baking for 35 years, you can probably estimate sugar content to within a teaspoon. Unfortunatelt, in this industry, experience doesn't allow us to estimate like this.
In this world of tech writing, there are soooo many potential problems (system shutdowns, last minute changes to the product, illness) that can jeopardize your relationship with a client if you underestimate, that you either need to overestimate, or factor in every disastrous thing that can go wrong.
OR you need to deal with people that UNDERSTAND that an estimate is not carved in stone, it's drawn on the beach as the tide's coming in.
Naturally you want to be as close as you can get to the "real-time" deadline, but always remember that one cannot afford to be conservative with estimates.
My $0.02
Lisa Comeau
IS Super-User/Trainer
Certification and Testing Division
Canadian Standards Association
Rexdale, ON
comeaul -at- csa -dot- ca
