Development Estimation
Overview
Create consistent, defensible estimates by breaking scope into components, identifying risks, and providing confidence intervals.
When to Use
- Estimating feature or project scope
- Providing effort or complexity estimates
- Delivering risk-aware breakdowns
Avoid when:
- The task is trivial or a rough gut-check is sufficient
- Requirements are unknown and need discovery first
Quick Reference
| Task | Load reference |
|---|---|
| Estimation workflow | skills/development-estimation/references/estimate.md |
Workflow
- Define scope and estimation type (time/effort/complexity).
- Load the estimation reference for structure.
- Break into components and dependencies.
- Add risks and confidence intervals.
- Deliver estimate with assumptions.
Output
- Estimate with breakdown and confidence interval
- Assumptions, risks, and validation notes
Common Mistakes
- Estimating without clear scope
- Ignoring risk and dependency factors
- Overstating precision beyond available data