Template
Define the estimate object before estimating it
An estimate without an object is confidence attached to fog.
When it fits
- A number is requested before scope, completion state or exclusions are explicit.
When to avoid it
- Do not use scope wording to hide necessary work; exclusions still need an owner or a separate estimate.
A template to use
Estimate for: [deliverable]. Done means: [criterion]. Includes: [scope]. Excludes: [scope]. Metric: [elapsed time / effort / cost].
Why it matters
Write what is being estimated: deliverable, completion criterion, included work, explicit exclusions and the date or cost dimension. Keep this scope snapshot beside the estimate so later changes are visible rather than mistaken for bad arithmetic.
An example
'Three days' becomes 'three working days of consultant effort to prepare and validate the file; business approval and production import excluded.'
Check your result
Another person can tell exactly what the estimate does and does not cover.
Keep this limit in mind
- Do not use scope wording to hide necessary work; exclusions still need an owner or a separate estimate.
Connected ideas
Use beforePin the scope snapshot to every material forecast
Evidence and sources
Supports
IPA cost-estimating guidance recommends documenting assumptions and representing uncertainty with reasonably optimistic, most-likely and reasonably pessimistic positions where appropriate.
Three-point estimates are inputs to judgment or modelling, not proof of a probability distribution.
Cost Estimating Guidance · Estimate ranges and assumptions