The author is correct but does not address the challenge of setting customer expectations in this direction. Customers see estimates as contracts. I can't blame them because I expect a auto repair place to stick to their estimate. Why is SD any different?
Because it is!!! Auto repair is not software development. In auto repair you generally have clear requirements and the unknowns are limited. All 2000 Ford F150 are exactly the same. Even then, from year to year the F150 is not that different. When a redesign is done, once you have seen it, it does not change.
In SD, software changes, technology changes, people change, requirements change, designs change, hardware changes and ect. Nothing is consistent.
http://www.codesqueeze.com/estimation-is-not-for-accountability-its-for-visibility/
Because it is!!! Auto repair is not software development. In auto repair you generally have clear requirements and the unknowns are limited. All 2000 Ford F150 are exactly the same. Even then, from year to year the F150 is not that different. When a redesign is done, once you have seen it, it does not change.
In SD, software changes, technology changes, people change, requirements change, designs change, hardware changes and ect. Nothing is consistent.
http://www.codesqueeze.com/estimation-is-not-for-accountability-its-for-visibility/
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