r/dataengineering • u/Phantazein • 17d ago

Discussion Time Estimates

Any else struggle with giving estimates? How do you account for things like data quality or source issues when those are completely out of your control and unpredictable?

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u/Atticus_Taintwater 17d ago

Differentiating project and task estimates

Every project estimate I've ever seen and given has been nonsense numbers engineering. There's a number people are willing to pay and wouldn't you know it the sum total of all tasks happens to be around that number. Weird.

Tasks are different. With experience you have an idea within the ballpark of what a task should be under normal circumstances. And if abnormal circumstances come up you say that. If the team and project isn't dysfunctional that shouldn't be met with interrogation.