Project Estimation Guide

Overview

This skill helps create accurate software development estimates by systematically breaking down projects into estimable tasks and assigning effort by role. Output can be delivered as Excel spreadsheets using the xlsx skill, and tasks can be pushed directly to Jira to create a project backlog.

Estimation Workflow

Step 1: Clarify Project Scope

ALWAYS ask the user about project maturity level before estimating:

Key questions to ask:

• Is this PoC, MVP, or production-ready system?
• What are the non-functional requirements (users, load, compliance)?
• Are there existing systems to integrate with?
• What is the team's familiarity with the tech stack?
• Are there hard deadlines or constraints?

Step 2: Hierarchical Task Breakdown

Break down from high-level to lowest estimable units (1-3 days max per task).

Level 0: Project
└── Level 1: Epic/Module
    └── Level 2: Feature
        └── Level 3: Task
            └── Level 4: Subtask (if needed)

Example breakdown:

E-commerce Platform
├── User Management (Epic)
│   ├── Registration (Feature)
│   │   ├── Registration form UI (Task) - FE: 1.5d
│   │   ├── Email verification API (Task) - BE: 1d
│   │   ├── Email templates (Task) - BE: 0.5d
│   │   └── Registration tests (Task) - QA: 1d
│   ├── Authentication (Feature)
│   │   ├── Login/logout UI (Task) - FE: 1d
│   │   ├── JWT auth endpoints (Task) - BE: 1.5d
│   │   ├── Password reset flow (Task) - BE: 1.5d, FE: 1d
│   │   └── Auth tests (Task) - QA: 1.5d
│   └── User Profile (Feature)
│       └── ...
├── Product Catalog (Epic)
│   └── ...
└── Checkout (Epic)
    └── ...

Step 3: Assign Effort by Role

Standard roles and responsibilities:

Step 4: Apply Risk Factors

Step 5: Add Contingency Buffer

Baseline Estimates by Component

Frontend Components

Backend Components

AI/ML Components

QA Effort Guidelines

PM/Coordination Overhead

Output Format

Excel Spreadsheet (Recommended)

Use the xlsx skill to create estimates in Excel format with:

Sheet 1: Summary

Sheet 2: Detailed Breakdown

Sheet 3: Assumptions & Risks

• Document all assumptions made
• List identified risks with mitigation strategies
• Note excluded items

Markdown Table (Quick Estimates)

## Estimate Summary

| Phase | BE | FE | QA | DevOps | PM | Total |
|-------|----|----|----|----|-----|-------|
| Phase 1 | 20d | 15d | 8d | 5d | 5d | 53d |
| Phase 2 | 15d | 10d | 6d | 3d | 4d | 38d |
| Buffer (20%) | | | | | | 18d |
| **Total** | **35d** | **25d** | **14d** | **8d** | **9d** | **109d** |

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Underestimation causes:

• Forgetting testing, code review, deployment time
• Not accounting for meetings (add 10-20%)
• Missing error handling and edge cases
• Ignoring documentation needs
• Assuming ideal conditions

Items often forgotten:

• Authentication and authorization
• Error handling and logging
• Data migration
• Environment setup
• API documentation
• Security hardening
• Performance optimization
• Monitoring and alerting

Quick Reference

T-Shirt to Days Conversion

Story Points to Days (per developer)

Jira Integration

Push estimated tasks directly to Jira to create a project backlog.

Prerequisites

Before pushing to Jira, gather from the user:

1. Jira instance URL (e.g., https://company.atlassian.net)
2. Project key (e.g., PROJ)
3. API token - user can generate at https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens
4. Email associated with the Jira account

Task to Jira Mapping

Field Mapping

Push to Jira Workflow

Step 1: Confirm with user

Before pushing to Jira, confirm:
- Jira URL: [user provides]
- Project key: [user provides]
- Create Epics? (yes/no)
- Estimate format: (days/hours/story points)

Step 2: Create issues via API

Use bash with curl to create issues. First, set up authentication:

# Store credentials (ask user for these values)
JIRA_URL="https://company.atlassian.net"
JIRA_EMAIL="user@company.com"
JIRA_TOKEN="your-api-token"
PROJECT_KEY="PROJ"

Create an Epic:

curl -X POST "$JIRA_URL/rest/api/3/issue" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -u "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "fields": {
      "project": {"key": "'"$PROJECT_KEY"'"},
      "summary": "User Management",
      "issuetype": {"name": "Epic"},
      "description": {
        "type": "doc",
        "version": 1,
        "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Epic for user management features"}]}]
      }
    }
  }'

Create a Story linked to Epic:

curl -X POST "$JIRA_URL/rest/api/3/issue" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -u "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "fields": {
      "project": {"key": "'"$PROJECT_KEY"'"},
      "summary": "User Registration",
      "issuetype": {"name": "Story"},
      "parent": {"key": "PROJ-1"},
      "description": {
        "type": "doc",
        "version": 1,
        "content": [{"type": "paragraph", "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "Implement user registration flow"}]}]
      },
      "timetracking": {
        "originalEstimate": "24h"
      },
      "labels": ["BE", "FE", "QA"]
    }
  }'

Create a Task/Sub-task:

curl -X POST "$JIRA_URL/rest/api/3/issue" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -u "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "fields": {
      "project": {"key": "'"$PROJECT_KEY"'"},
      "summary": "Registration form UI",
      "issuetype": {"name": "Sub-task"},
      "parent": {"key": "PROJ-2"},
      "timetracking": {
        "originalEstimate": "12h"
      },
      "labels": ["FE"]
    }
  }'

Batch Creation Script

For large estimates, generate a bash script that creates all issues:

#!/bin/bash
# Auto-generated Jira import script

JIRA_URL="https://company.atlassian.net"
JIRA_EMAIL="$JIRA_EMAIL"
JIRA_TOKEN="$JIRA_TOKEN"
PROJECT_KEY="PROJ"

create_issue() {
  local json="$1"
  response=$(curl -s -X POST "$JIRA_URL/rest/api/3/issue" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -u "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_TOKEN" \
    -d "$json")
  echo "$response" | grep -o '"key":"[^"]*"' | cut -d'"' -f4
}

# Create Epics first, capture keys
echo "Creating Epics..."
EPIC_USER_MGMT=$(create_issue '{"fields":{"project":{"key":"'"$PROJECT_KEY"'"},"summary":"User Management","issuetype":{"name":"Epic"}}}')
echo "Created: $EPIC_USER_MGMT"

# Create Stories under Epics
echo "Creating Stories..."
STORY_REGISTRATION=$(create_issue '{"fields":{"project":{"key":"'"$PROJECT_KEY"'"},"summary":"User Registration","issuetype":{"name":"Story"},"parent":{"key":"'"$EPIC_USER_MGMT"'"},"timetracking":{"originalEstimate":"24h"}}}')
echo "Created: $STORY_REGISTRATION"

# Create Sub-tasks under Stories
echo "Creating Tasks..."
create_issue '{"fields":{"project":{"key":"'"$PROJECT_KEY"'"},"summary":"Registration form UI","issuetype":{"name":"Sub-task"},"parent":{"key":"'"$STORY_REGISTRATION"'"},"timetracking":{"originalEstimate":"12h"},"labels":["FE"]}}'

echo "Done!"

CSV Export for Jira Import

Alternatively, create a CSV file for Jira's CSV import feature:

Summary,Issue Type,Parent,Description,Original Estimate,Labels
User Management,Epic,,"Epic for user management features",,
User Registration,Story,User Management,"Implement user registration",24h,"BE,FE,QA"
Registration form UI,Sub-task,User Registration,"Build the registration form",12h,FE
Email verification API,Sub-task,User Registration,"API endpoint for email verification",8h,BE
Registration tests,Sub-task,User Registration,"Write tests for registration",8h,QA

CSV Import Steps:

1. Go to Jira > Project Settings > External System Import
2. Select "CSV"
3. Upload the CSV file
4. Map columns to Jira fields
5. Review and import

Estimate to Hours Conversion

When pushing to Jira, convert days to hours:

Jira Custom Fields

Common custom fields that may need configuration:

To find custom field IDs for a project:

curl -s "$JIRA_URL/rest/api/3/field" \
  -u "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_TOKEN" | jq '.[] | {name, id}'

Error Handling

Common issues when pushing to Jira:

Jira Cloud vs Server

The API examples above use Jira Cloud (Atlassian Document Format for descriptions). For Jira Server/Data Center:

# Jira Server uses plain text descriptions
curl -X POST "$JIRA_URL/rest/api/2/issue" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -u "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "fields": {
      "project": {"key": "'"$PROJECT_KEY"'"},
      "summary": "Task name",
      "issuetype": {"name": "Task"},
      "description": "Plain text description here"
    }
  }'