Project Estimating; Major Causes of Underestimating

Another gem from Conrad Weisert of Information Disciplines. An oldie but goodie (the article, not Mr. Weisert).

This article is a call to project managers to stand up for realistic estimates. Of course, there are always those times when a project must come in on a certain date or else the project just isn't worth doing or won't have the impact it needs.

But even then, you need to ask yourself how risky it is trying to meet that date, and what are the consequences if you do not succeed. If both the impact and probability of failure are high, then it's imperitive to ground the estimate in reality.

Sometimes additional resources can help. Sometimes it adds more risk. It all depends on the situation. In the end, the triple constraint still holds true. The scope, time, and cost must balance.

Read on for more info...

Burden of Proof in Project Estimating