Estimates are difficult for developers and product owners
4 days ago
- #project management
- #technical debt
- #software development
- Estimates are a necessary but often frustrating part of software development, serving different purposes for developers and product owners (POs).
- POs rely on estimates to prioritize backlogs, manage expectations, and plan product life cycles, balancing risk and reward.
- Developers dislike estimates due to uncertainty, unforeseen issues, and the tendency for estimates to be treated as deadlines.
- Technical debt is a major source of conflict between POs and developers, as POs may not fully grasp its impact on development time and product quality.
- The misuse of estimates—treating them as fixed deadlines—erodes trust and psychological safety, leading developers to pad estimates for self-protection.
- DevOps principles like flow can help mitigate some issues by improving delivery pace and addressing technical debt, but they don't solve the estimate problem directly.
- A potential solution involves stopping premature feature announcements and arbitrary deadlines, focusing instead on continuous communication and updated estimates.
- Both developers and POs must understand each other's pressures: POs need estimates for planning, while developers need flexibility to account for unknowns.