Why is it so difficult to estimate project time?

Why is it so difficult to estimate project time?

Core Issues:

1. Many tasks are actually “meta-work” (work needed to enable the actual work) rather than “core work” itself
2. These non-core tasks are often underestimated or overlooked in project planning

We tend to estimate timelines based on ideal scenarios, avoiding consideration of uncertainties. This relates to confidence management and pressure handling. Instead of relying on optimistic intuition, we should establish a framework that comprehensively evaluates both core work and supporting tasks.

Project Work Categories:

⚫ Project Administration

• Meetings, reviews, project management
• Team coordination and communication

🔴 Project Acquisition

• Research and experimentation
• Scope definition
• Quote preparation
• Stakeholder persuasion

🟠 Project Preparation

• Environment setup
• Infrastructure configuration

🟡 Core Project Execution

• Product design
• Development
• Testing

🟢 Inter-Project Iteration

• Debugging cycles
• Code refactoring

🔵 Project Extensions

• Scope adjustments
• Change requests
• Additional requirements

🟣 External Factors

• Unexpected events
• Extended dependencies

🟤 Post-Project Support

• Deployment
• Security maintenance
• System updates

Key Takeaways:

• Review completed projects to calibrate future estimates
• Acknowledge that most projects contain significant hidden work
• When issues arise, focus on improving estimation methods rather than just working longer hours
• Pay special attention to fixed-budget projects and their unique risks

Why is time estimating hard🔗