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Always Multiply Your Estimates by π (2013)

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268 points behnamoh | 1 comments | 27 Sep 21 04:48 UTC | HN request time: 0.203s | source
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dgb23 ◴[27 Sep 21 11:10 UTC] No.28669285[source]▶
People tend to want to hear or give the shortest estimate that seemingly sounds feasible.

I don't do that anymore. I try to push estimates as high as possible and then collaboratively cut down on requirements/promises/features to match an expected (time) budget.

This often leads to more pragmatic work items and sensible prioritization from the start. And it is an opportunity for general communication and understanding the value of things.

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kilroy123 ◴[27 Sep 21 11:29 UTC] No.28669412[source]▶
I agree but you can often miss out on work if you do this as a freelancer.

Last potential customer I spoke with I did this. They were insulted by my estimate and practically hung up the phone on me.

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1. dgb23 ◴[27 Sep 21 14:21 UTC] No.28670965[source]▶
We can't read the mind of that potential customer. Did they want cheap, fast labor? Probably. Do you optimize for that? I assume not. You might have dodged a bullet or maybe there was a communication issue.