How Much Did That Really Take?
08 May 2025
How did you make your effort estimates?
I made my effort estimates by breaking down each issue into smaller, manageable tasks and then approximating how long each of those tasks would take based on past experiences with similar problems. I considered factors like the complexity of the feature, whether I had worked on similar code before, and whether the task required research or debugging. In some cases, I added extra buffer time if I anticipated potential obstacles or unfamiliar technologies.
Even though your estimates were always off, sometimes way off, was there any benefit from making effort estimates for the issues in advance? If so, what benefits? If not, why not?
Yes, despite the estimates often being inaccurate, there were definite benefits to making them in advance. Estimating forced me to think critically about the scope and requirements of a task before diving in, which improved my planning and reduced aimless trial-and-error. Even when estimates were off, they provided a benchmark that helped me recognize when a task was taking longer than expected, prompting me to reassess my approach or ask for help. It also made it easier to prioritize issues and allocate time effectively across the project.
Was there any benefit for tracking the actual effort expended on the issues? If so, what benefits? If not, why not? Was there any downside to estimating and tracking your effort? If so what?
Tracking actual effort was beneficial in helping me reflect on my time management and identify tasks that were more time-consuming than expected. Over time, it gave me a better sense of where my strengths and weaknesses were, and how I might adjust future estimates. One downside was that it could feel discouraging when the actual effort greatly exceeded the estimate, especially when I underestimated a task by a large margin. Additionally, constantly switching context to log time could be a minor distraction, though not significantly.
How did you track your actual effort? How accurate do you believe your tracking was?
I tracked my actual effort using a simple spreadsheet where I logged start and end times for each work session, along with a brief note on what I accomplished. Sometimes I rounded to the nearest 15 or 30 minutes if I forgot to track in real time. I believe my tracking was reasonably accurate—perhaps within a 10–15% margin of error—but not perfect. Short tasks were easier to track precisely, while longer or interrupted sessions were more prone to rough estimation.
How much overhead was there in tracking your effort? Did it take up a noticeable amount of time or inhibit you working on the project?
The overhead from tracking effort was minimal. Logging time usually took under a minute per session and didn’t significantly interfere with my workflow. Occasionally, I forgot to start the timer or had to backfill entries, which added a bit of extra effort, but overall it didn’t noticeably inhibit my productivity. In fact, it made me more intentional about how I spent my time, which was a net positive for my progress on the project.