3SD handbook

Epic Estimates

Provisional estimate

When writing an estimate, consider time required for all aspects of this epic. Think of time required to do:

  • discovery
  • design and prototyping
  • configuration
  • development
  • testing
  • incorporating client feedback
  • documentation
  • deployment

If this is a business process or an area where we don't have a lot of experience, increase the estimate to account for learning and mistakes along the way. Similarly, if we plan on using a technology that we are not familiar with, increase the estimate to account for learning and mistakes along the way.

If the estimate is large, e.g. more than 15 days, you should consider splitting the epic into smaller epics.

Smaller epics means more milestones and makes it easier to manage the budget.

Remember that we have a team with a wealth of experience, so it is a good idea to get other people's input if you are estimating a piece of work unfamiliar to you.

GUIDELINES ON % OF BUFFERS TO USE IN DIFFERENT SCENARIOS

LINK TO document that summarises past projects, epics, and how long things actually took.

Before finalising an estimate with the client, always get a second person to review it first.

Managing client expectations

Estimates are our best guess, and sometimes we get them wrong. The important thing is that we manage our client's expectations well. You can do this by:

  • when you present the proposal to them, explaining that estimates can change and that they are just our best guess
  • we track time spent against and epic and if when we are 50% through an epic we have spent more time than expected, do an assessment for how much more time we think we need (be realistic) and inform the client of this. Also do this at 75%. This should be done in a telephone or in person conversation, followed by a confirmation in writing.

Gathering information

LINK to page where we will be gathering information on epics completed in the past, comparing what we did with what we said we'd do (grouping them by similarity to make it easier to use when doing estimates).