You are asked to do the estimation for a module or a task.
You consider the coffee breaks, orkut scrapping and the innumerable hours spent on Wikipedia and IMDB. You make a very high end calculation and add 30% buffer to it and send it to your lead.
Your lead takes into consideration the time he would lose in mindless discussions, unwanted conferences and adds his 30% buffer.
Your manager thinks of time lost in motivational meetings, online trading and the estimation goes up by 30% more.
Finally, your account manager not wanting to be left alone, follows the 30% funda and sends the final estimation to the client.
Everybody seem happy dreaming about the happy days ahead.
But, from the day the project starts till it ends, everybody starts slogging their posteriors off. I wonder, where all those 30 percents vanish!
I know this was a lousy post. But, there are many reasons why I wrote it:
One, I dont have enough time.
Two, I am in a cribbing mood and is there a better listener than a blog?
Three, I am not getting any ideas to write and dont want any readers of this blog to think that this blog is dead! :D
You consider the coffee breaks, orkut scrapping and the innumerable hours spent on Wikipedia and IMDB. You make a very high end calculation and add 30% buffer to it and send it to your lead.
Your lead takes into consideration the time he would lose in mindless discussions, unwanted conferences and adds his 30% buffer.
Your manager thinks of time lost in motivational meetings, online trading and the estimation goes up by 30% more.
Finally, your account manager not wanting to be left alone, follows the 30% funda and sends the final estimation to the client.
Everybody seem happy dreaming about the happy days ahead.
But, from the day the project starts till it ends, everybody starts slogging their posteriors off. I wonder, where all those 30 percents vanish!
I know this was a lousy post. But, there are many reasons why I wrote it:
One, I dont have enough time.
Two, I am in a cribbing mood and is there a better listener than a blog?
Three, I am not getting any ideas to write and dont want any readers of this blog to think that this blog is dead! :D
Comments
Im sorry if Im spamming all over this comment box , but I am underpaid and undernourished as of now :(
:)
u want to do tags? there are fun tags going around.. you can do them.. but i don't know how will u do it when u dnt have the 30% buffer :)
take care!
Sorry, just couldn't control that comment ;)
"Now or never" is the best.
Yeah, that could have been the perfect title for cribbing about hikes too :D May be you are right, the buffer should be at least 60% at all levels!
@veens
I like tags. Tag me anytime, I think I can still manage them with my crazy time schedules.
@decemberstud
Honestly I missed what the '27%' meant, may be I am going weak in my math everyday...
@BPSK
Parkinson's first law can also be interpreted as "Since no amount of time is enough to finish your tasks comfortably, make the schedules as tight as possible" :D
@harsha
Is "proper planning" an oxymoron? :)
I prefer to be vague, if really it is.