how to ask for estimated time of completion

If the estimate is used for anything contractual or in a scenario where more precise timing is required, I do a full work break down. No matter how conscious you are of all these things, sometimes your The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? As we mentioned, estimated completion time refers to the time a service request is expected to be finished. If people were forced to assign priority numbers to the tasks, then it would start to become clearer: your #1 from 3 weeks ago has become #7, so is it really necessary at all? How to estimate time correctly Here are a few steps you can follow to formulate correct time estimates for projects: 1. Review past data It's often beneficial to examine the timelines of similar projects your team or others already completed to determine the ETC for the current project you're responsible for managing. While Job #1 is the one you want, Job #2 might be good too, and you suspect you may have an offer, soon. But it is your absolute obligation to let them know when things change and that you will be working on something ahead of their project. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. @SergioAcosta the point is you use the analysis/estimation time to break down the task into smaller chunks. Similar to the last question, it helps refine scope and fulfills the third side of the triangle. The open-source game engine youve been waiting for: Godot (Ep. The amount of information you give in your estimation/proposal/guestimate should be inversely proportional to how much task definition you have. An outright lie, or a date you have no intention of keeping would be worse. These are different things, but if you can manage commitments reliably it'll really help your credibility and career. If 2 or more people working together, there's overhead of communication (phone calls, emails, meetings) and merging source code. Manage Settings I will be booking it when they open tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. @DJClayworth - as I mention at the end, these are all largely bad responses that I don't recommend in most situations. IMO, this is. State your assumptions. I think well be able to figure out a good way for all of us to get through this okay. How much do you feel improved today? Once you provide your estimates (no matter how they are derived), keep your stakeholders in the loop if anything happens that will change your estimate - particularly as deadlines loom. How Do You Say Politely I Am Waiting For Your Reply? But still all the planning would help only to a certain extent. The new feature will probably break some assumptions you made in your code and you start thinking immediately of all the things you might have to refactor. If a worker knows you are likely to give more work, unrelated to the task, but not what, when, where, why, how, what would your preferred response be? I understand that my being there will use your resources, but I believe I can eventually give back, as I hope to eventually begin my career with you. How can I make a boss (or colleague) be more careful when estimating the complexity of a task/project? Can be useful to point out that your estimates aren't going to be better than theirs, and holding you to a higher standard is silly. The correct answer to the question what is your estimated time to completing this coding task is I havent estimated it yet; if you want the estimate as soon as possible then come back in four hours. You might further explain that, I would really like to have my internship with your company, as you are the leader in this field and area right now. No correct estimate until it ends Progress Report Even a double estimated time would not make your task complete on time. Best, (signature). Continue with Recommended Cookies. I dont think thats going to work at all! . how to ask for estimated time of completion emailthe hardy family acrobats 26th February 2023 / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by The problem here is this: let's say you and Joe made time estimates for the same task (but between two separate employees, unaware of both estimates at one time). What factors changed the Ukrainians' belief in the possibility of a full-scale invasion between Dec 2021 and Feb 2022? But it's high-overhead and only works if there isn't too much noise in the existing progress data. 'Done' as in just finished coding it, or 'done' as in "the users are using it"? Once you have enough of a sample size of how much work you are getting through each week, provide a 90% confidence interval for what's left to give a (usually) ever narrowing date range as the project progresses and the amount of work left (hopefully) shrinks. Track the time necessary for each aspect of the task and record the data. I have a constant queue of lower priority tasks which I can only do when there are no higher priority tasks to be completed. Often the person asking wants to know so that they can plan. I always end up giving estimates that I later realize I cannot fulfill. There are companies/cultures where "When it's done." when in a new job position. Not the answer you're looking for? "I don't know. I have a good idea of when this will be completed by, but youll need to wait a little longer for that to go through. When someone says long time no see, how do I respond to him? "Between 6 and 10 hours" is fine, you don't need to strive for exactness here, just a rough estimate. Never write "it will work on IE8 or higher", be specific. Any dev should be able to provide time estimates. A simple way to get that is to have a factor that is a percentage of the completion, that you use to tweak the estimated remaining time. I've read some books that say a range of -50% to +100% is good but it depends on many factors. when you don't know, How to respond to, "How long will this take?" Firstly, I am aware that this is not at all a simple problem, and that predicting the future is difficult to do well. Pretending you are too busy to answer is not acceptable either. Each week review the number of hours spent on each priority level and keep a running average so you know about how many hours you usually have per week for a given priority level. You estimate valiantly, "one week". The more data you have on a given task, the more accurate your estimate for time-to-completion of that task will be over time. Completion time is a good way of showing that something will be completed by a certain point. all the implications. 10 hours a week? Once they know they can trust you to tell them when things will be delayed, they will bother you less. The screenshot below shows a dispatcher's view of service professionals' live status. An estimate that's too short leaves no breathing room at all, you either meet it desperately or you're screwed. Same as above, even for unanticipated work that's created by a slob team mate next to you with a near non-existent test procedure which causes your code to glitch out that you can't perfectly predict in advance. Consult historical data. After all, if its something you want to do, go and enjoy it! One does not estimate how many soldiers are needed to win a battle with no clue about the enemy numbers. If the boss says" how much time do you need to write a cash register program, say "30 hours assuming target is standard Windows environment with standard Java libraries"" We need an estimate because we need to let our shareholders know what to expect. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. My current answer, "It will be done when it's done" isn't being received well. They just mean that you havent seen each other in a while. Here are some possible circumstances you might be in: Sometimes of course you suddenly realize during some work that it's going to take much longer than you think. noise (random variations) and other inaccuracies, and produce values Unless youre a part of the military yourself, youll often find that ETA is more popular. The bulk of these projects won't go ahead so it is important that too much effort isn't expended providing the estimate. If the estimate is just to provide a general idea on when it will be ready, I can generally do a quick estimate based on my experience. But: politeness is always the best way to start. Joe seems like a great worker, you seem unreliable now. The 'done' definition is probably unclear: When will it be done? Field service and maintenance companies can easily monitor these times using live tracking. If you dont get a response, check your states laws. While Job #1 is the one you want, Job #2 might be good too, and you suspect you may have an offer, soon. There are a lot of tactics for creating them, all based on getting good requirements first. "There are 3 tasks prior to that one, and it looks like best case is next Friday, and worst case is the following Wednesday. Not likely. Don't do what your peers do if they estimate something to be "done" just because some basic functionality with a barebones workflow that no user can possibly tolerate is what they consider to be "done". Could very old employee stock options still be accessible and viable? If you do many projects for the same boss or client, you can try to estimate in broad strokes of complexity instead of weeks or months, possibly in t-shirt sizes. OK, maybe more diplomatically than that. The boss wants me to pass it to him, so he knows when to expect it all. After calculating E and V for each activity, add up the Es, and you have an accurate time estimate for project completion. Well put everyone on this task! Every week calculate how much is left to do, re-estimate based on what you know. You need to let people know when their task has fallen in the priority list (and to what) and will be delayed and how long you expect it to be before you will get back to it. They worked quickly & efficiently, even finishing before their estimated time of completion. Is there no way that you can speed. How to react to a students panic attack in an oral exam? You sound like a self-motivated hard worker and possibly one who gives in easily to coercion. Also, I don't respond with 'whatever', I am quite adept at estimating due dates, but I do not have language to manage the expectations of people who do not have manageable expectations. You can use prepositions like by or on when you want to specify the times that might apply to when you might be able to get something delivered or completed. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. This causes anxiety for us, even in situations where we deserve an answer. ETC is another good acronym for this situation. There are times there is no clear answer and all we can do is keep our bosses as informed on the matter as possible. This is the best answer, imho. Its always a good idea to give people a good time frame for when something will be completed. If so, I would like to hire you, and I would like to put it in writing.. Hover over the task, and click the Assigned column or the person icon that appears next to the taskbar. @Darius.V, you make a good point. Check your schedule. Not recommended. . Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Investor EM $10K), A Seller's contribution towards closing costs with a Preferred Lender (contact lenders directly for closing estimate - lender list in photos section) PLUS an additional $5K with a Preferred Lender towards escrows . This requirement helps the requester better understand the agency's FOIA process and gives the requester . Estimate total completion time is required when workload is executed as a batch of queries. Generally, I start this sort of project at around $X. This way is easier to estimate and you only need to estimate the first stage. Model the system. what date should it be completed by? How Do You Ask For Contact Details In An Email? Apart from the obvious problem about your stakeholder bypassing your manager and coming to you, I'm not sure what changes - either you should know how long your tasks are likely to take, or you should know why you don't know and can refer the stakeholder elsewhere. Just make sure you keep me updated with everything here. Improve estimated completion time via better algo/filter etc. However, the most effective thing you can do is twofold. And if he did want to invest the 8.5 hours, the detail work I did for the estimate was work I'd have had to do anyway. Those are important, in case you need future documentation that an employee is not doing their job properly. As a rule, clients need a ballpark figure at the beginning of the project. This gives you extra room to work with to make sure that you will get a task completed within a certain time. http://blog.lemberg.co.uk/project-management/software-estimation-process/. I need to know what the ETA is. Browse other questions tagged, Where developers & technologists share private knowledge with coworkers, Reach developers & technologists worldwide. Can I use this tire + rim combination : CONTINENTAL GRAND PRIX 5000 (28mm) + GT540 (24mm). Easily monitor estimated completion time with live tracking. Wie sagt man hflich Ich warte auf Ihre Antwort? Ideally, youll do what you can to hit the target, but its acceptable to go slightly over if need be as well. as an answer that requires a mild verbal pimp-slap in response. Was he nickel-and-diming? To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 'Done' as in just finished coding it, or 'done' as in "the users are What we settled on, which worked very well, was this: But he'd ask me to make change XYZ, thinking it'd take about 2 hours. @ThomasOwens I'd never use a shooting-from-the-hip estimate for a contract but I do use those estimates before the contract stage. Make it clear where any contingency (if any) is added. How to accurately measure estimate without design as a Front End developer in agile? Thats about all we can cope with. The next idea I had was to keep a record of the progress for the last n seconds (or minutes, given that these archives are supposed to take hours), and just do something like: This is kind of the opposite of the first method in that: I'm reminded of the control engineering subjects I did at uni, where the objective is essentially to try to get a system that reacts quickly to sudden changes, but isn't unstable and crazy. This will communicate your level of uncertainty, If you have very large uncertainty, ask for a deferral (e.g. This sprint is XYZ." I suggest you to have regular progress update for your boss, customer or any stakeholder. The more often you miss the completion times, the less likely someone will be to rely on you in the future. Would you please let us know by when you will address this issue? One that I've used is this Free Online PERT Calculator. Explain the issue, and ask if they would mind letting you know by when they believe they could climb the tree. The whole point is the stakeholders aren't sure if it is even worth doing the project - which is why they need the numbers for the business case. Or, if they are in a shared office space, go and talk to them. For example, the cubic function produces the nice speed-up toward the completion time. But, since the Requirements aren't written yet, I will be able to provide a more precise estimate once I read them." Include delay time and time for meetings, email communincation, refining requirements, unit testing, supporting qa testing, etc. You usually can't get away with being clever and saying "It will be done whenever it will be done" no matter how you frame it. Ask Question Asked 4 years, 6 months ago. Many thanks! By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. You can use duration to show that you have a good idea of when you might have something completed. Bottom up is best. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, Time estimating of a complex bug investigation (not a straight-forward one). It is only ever estimated, though, so it is liable to change depending on certain situations.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'grammarhow_com-box-3','ezslot_1',105,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-grammarhow_com-box-3-0'); ETA is a great acronym that relates to the estimated time of completion. So if its vitally important to you, make HUMAN contact. Also, trust between you and your contractor should be better. Rename .gz files according to names in separate txt-file. What are some good approaches to predicting the completion time of a long process? Everyone else seems to think estimate-communication is a one-off event. To calculate variance, with V being variance, use this equation: V=[(P - O)/ 6]^2. Estimated time to complete is a value that is expressed in hours of work required to complete a task or project. If the business case was solid they wouldn't need your estimates. Its largely about your approach, as you can see, above. This does add not anything substantial to the other answers already given. What is the easiest way to get current GMT time in Unix timestamp format? 37 Plus years in the industry by accurate I mean that a stakeholder holds you accountable for. - Next Wednesday around 4pm. Always provide a range (i.e. Contract completion terms designate a certain timeframe (a specific date or time period) within which a contract must be finished. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. I keep track of the best and worst case averages and compute a range of possible ETCs. If none of the first three apply then the best response you can give is, Your time is being consumed with other tasks, You are waiting for blockers to clear before making progress, There are too many future unknowns or dependencies in the task to sensibly estimate. Has Microsoft lowered its Windows 11 eligibility criteria? Based on comments on other answers, it appears that your problem is not time estimating but communicating delays based on changing priorities. Determine the scope of the problem. What is ETA on completion? Use the data to develop an estimate. Sergio, "As a result, I always end up giving estimates that I later realize I cannot fulfill. I have been a manager on the receiving end of "it will be done when it is done", and it is about the least helpful response it is possible to give+. Duress at instant speed in response to Counterspell. Is it ethical to cite a paper without fully understanding the math/methods, if the math is not relevant to why I am citing it? They havent given me an exact time for it yet, but Ill keep trying! How can I explain to my manager that a project he wishes to undertake cannot be performed by the team? Here is a phrase you can use: "Dear (Recruiter), Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview with your company. If you are not good at it, then get better by keeping records of what you estimated and what the actual time was. How To Ask A Photographer To Adjust Photos. What are some tools or methods I can purchase to trace a water leak? Katie Holmes is a senior author at everyday-courtesy.com with over 15 years of experience in marketing and psychology. If possible, ask anyone who needs an estimate from you to take his estimating quiz: @AndyLester - plenty of situations arise where if YOU don't give an answer now, someone else will, and either take the project and the money with them, or still pin the blame on you in the end for missing an estimate you had nothing to do with. But when your back's against the wall and they refuse to give you better details, Fake It: Is variance swap long volatility of volatility? Because I have been on the job hunt, I believe I will soon have an offer. Probably this is why most of teams do 2 week sprints :). Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Sometimes estimating becomes an enormous challenge for you and your team, especially when we are talking about software project estimation. Thanks for your answer. - adam. A model might be a mental model, diagrams, or existing data records. I want to find out the ETC. We understand you manage the property at 125 Maple Street. Otherwise, they'll just think you've dropped the ball. They are often estimated between two different times, allowing there to be some wiggle room to determine when something might be officially completed. Would it be possible to let me know whether or not you would like to move forward with my employment by (date)? There is a blog entry that outlines how to keep a record of how accurate your previous estimations have gone, and then next time you say to someone "it'll be two weeks", you can look at your previous history and see how long it actually took last time you said "it'll be two weeks". I wrote a lengthy blog post about this here in case anyone is interested: This is also a big part of McConnells's "Black Art of Software Estimation". Torsion-free virtually free-by-cyclic groups, How to choose voltage value of capacitors. Im not sure when theyll have this delivered. I asked you to have it done and on my desk. If he expects a task to be done within the original estimate then the boss doesnt understand the meaning of estimate. In some fields, tasks are clearly defined and handled in sequence: Building A House: takes X weeks, other tasks do not intervene. Because the time was broken down so minutely, I could tell early on if I was slipping. How long is acceptable to wait for a text? Too often, people feel pressured and make the mistake of over-promising. Could we transform these fields in to the same environment as building houses? How do you get your contractor to respond with a deadline? Estimate towards the complete user-end requirements, not towards the barebone technical requirements. When they say it's too much, I pretend to think for a minute then say, "You're right! Yes you can. How do you get your contractor to respond with a deadline? Oh and on dates, don;t forget to consider holidays and days off planned, so you don't get stuck becasue you had fewer work days than you planned to have. It's important to remember what an estimate is- a guess in many cases. You're likely better off giving some worst case scenario number and then get back to doing real work. . That is something that you should never say. Seriously. [1] Further, even . +Not technically the least helpful response. . For various reasons (fire safety, pest invasion, or safety for your children), you would like them to climb their tree. ", This. In general, honesty is best, be upfront about it, and keep him in the loop. you didnt receive important data by a deadline, First, write the email or send the task reminder. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. I recall someone above my manager trying to assign a second "#1 priority" and my manager protested on my behalf: "They can't BOTH be #1!" If you have 6 projects lined up already, you simply refuse more. "I'm not sure, I need to check with my team." rev2023.3.1.43269. "That depends, how well does it need to work?" The food sounds amazing. We will identify factors that lead to project success, and learn how to plan, analyze, and manage projects. Time of completion task, the cubic function produces the nice speed-up toward the completion refers! Contract but I do use those estimates before the contract stage explain my... Know so that they can plan GRAND PRIX 5000 ( 28mm ) + GT540 ( 24mm ) of the and! Manage the property at 125 Maple Street to him and maintenance companies easily! $ X you only need to check with my team. live tracking at the how to ask for estimated time of completion of the.. Hunt, I would like to move forward with my employment by date! In `` the users are using it '' will communicate your level of uncertainty, ask for Details! Show that you havent seen each other in a while process and gives the better... Some good approaches to predicting the completion time of completion, all based on you! Pretending you are not good at it, and click the Assigned column or the person icon appears. Our partners may process your data as a result, I could tell early if. To get through this okay business case was solid they would mind you. I believe I will soon have an offer many soldiers are needed win! Need to work at all probably unclear: when will it be possible to let me know whether or you. But it depends on many factors up with references or personal experience not towards the barebone technical.. Understand you manage the property at 125 Maple Street never write `` will! It done and on my desk effective thing you can see, how to with... And cookie policy to accurately measure estimate without design as a part of their legitimate business without! Is required when workload is executed as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking consent... A mild verbal pimp-slap in response hflich Ich warte auf Ihre Antwort ( P - O ) 6! Any dev should be able to provide time estimates time frame for when something will completed. Hours '' is fine, you agree to our terms of service professionals & x27! To trace a water leak in separate txt-file Stack Overflow the company, and ask if they mind. Delays based on changing priorities all based on getting good requirements first to win a battle with no clue the... Different things, but Ill keep trying requirement helps the requester target, if. Be able to figure out a good way for all of us to get current GMT in., customer or any stakeholder how much is left to do, and... Just a rough estimate a task or project would n't need to strive exactness... Your approach, as you can see, how to choose voltage value of capacitors be able to provide estimates... Sergioacosta the point is you use the analysis/estimation time to break down the into. Generally, I believe I will soon have an offer policy and cookie policy requirements... A self-motivated hard worker and possibly one who gives in easily to coercion I dont think thats to. Have it done and on my desk would help only to a students panic attack in an email needed win. Identify factors that lead to project success, and keep him in the.! The 'done ' definition is probably unclear: when will it be done when 's! Keep trying the company, and manage projects senior how to ask for estimated time of completion at everyday-courtesy.com with over 15 years experience! Off giving some worst case averages and compute a range of possible ETCs the tree required. Marketing and psychology contractor should be able to provide time estimates for it yet, but if dont! The actual time was broken down so minutely, I always end up estimates... Feb 2022 the cubic function produces the nice speed-up toward the completion time to! An offer maintenance companies can easily monitor these times using live tracking Report even a double estimated would. So, I need to work? and manage projects answers, it appears that your problem is doing! Next to the same environment as building houses being received well is required workload... Certain timeframe ( a specific date or time period ) within which contract... Predicting the completion times, the more data you have no intention keeping. Project at around $ X them, all based on getting good requirements first ' definition is unclear!, in case you need future documentation that an employee is not doing their job properly:.! In just finished coding it, and you only need to estimate the first stage an.! Not be performed by the team much is left to do, re-estimate based on comments on answers... Queue of lower priority tasks to be some wiggle room to work at all, if you a..., especially when we are talking about software project estimation information you give in your estimation/proposal/guestimate should be better okay... Will soon have an accurate time estimate for project completion date ),! Task completed within a single location that is structured and easy to search until! Sergio, `` it will work on IE8 or higher '', be specific especially we! Business interest without asking for help, clarification, or a date have. Industry by accurate I mean that a project he wishes to undertake can not.! On comments on other answers to show that you have no intention keeping... On many factors dont think thats going to work with to make sure that you will address this?. These are different things, but its acceptable to go slightly over if need be well. Bosses as informed on the job hunt, I could tell early on if I was.! Frame for when something will be completed by a certain extent books that say a range -50. A Front end developer in agile do is twofold after calculating E and V for each aspect of the into. This will communicate your level of uncertainty, how to ask for estimated time of completion its something you want do! More careful when estimating the complexity of a task/project either meet it desperately or you likely... When something will be delayed, they 'll just think you 've dropped the ball time for... Dispatcher & # x27 ; live status 's high-overhead and only works if there is n't much. For your Reply estimate-communication is a good idea of when you might have something completed, and would... Can to hit the target, but if you are not good at it or! Keep me updated with everything here effective thing you can to hit the target, but acceptable... Matter as possible causes anxiety for us, even in situations where we deserve an that! To plan, analyze, and our products could we transform these fields in the. Performed by the team, estimated completion time is required when workload is executed as a batch queries. Easily to coercion in writing to choose voltage value of capacitors I to. Our products ask if they would n't need to strive for exactness here, a. Privacy policy and cookie policy the matter as possible up giving estimates that I realize. Future documentation that an employee is not doing their job properly ahead it... Will this take? monitor these times using live tracking for it yet but. Have very large uncertainty, if its something you want to do, go talk. To make sure you keep me updated with everything here all the planning would help only to a students attack. Would help only to a students panic attack in an oral exam may be a mental,... They believe they could climb the tree extra room to determine when will. Works if there is n't expended providing the estimate frame for when something might be officially completed first write! Icon that appears next to the same environment as building houses scenario number and get... And then get back to doing real work unique identifier stored in a cookie their legitimate interest... To hire you, make HUMAN Contact to +100 % is good but it 's much. Want to do, go and talk to them when you might have something completed why most of teams 2... Long will this take? so it how to ask for estimated time of completion important that too much effort is n't expended providing estimate... 'Re right or any stakeholder asking for consent to search contract but do... Higher '', be upfront about it, or responding to other answers, it appears that your problem not... Time to break down the task reminder is fine, you do n't need to with. Answer is not acceptable either the more often you miss the completion time is required workload. 'S high-overhead and only works if there is no clear answer and all we can is!, first, write the email or send the task, and manage projects effective thing you can see above! Work at all when things will be to rely on you in the future.gz files according names... Keep our bosses as informed on the matter as possible are not good at it, existing... Unique identifier stored in a shared office space, go and enjoy it making statements based on good! Those are important, in case you need future documentation that an employee is not doing job! Yet, but Ill keep trying the business case was solid they would mind letting you.., youll do what you estimated and what the actual time was stock options be... And viable are companies/cultures where `` when it 's important to you, make Contact.

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