I wish we could somehow get away from estimates where the expectation is precision and instead talk about a spectrum of possibilities (i.e., best case, worst case, and points in between). As the journey to the destination gets longer and more complex the range of possibilities increases. Why do we continue to pretend otherwise?
That aside, more accurate running scoring (if you will) would also help. Engineering is asked for an estimate but engineering knows that they don't have absolute complete control end to end of everything. Someone else somewhere along the line is going to cause delays, but the estimate stays fixed and engineering remains accountable. That's not helpful in the short term or long.