title: I never estimate on the call. Best engineering rule I made for myself.
author: u/dmp0x7c5
contenttype: redditpost
publication: r/programming
published: 2026-02-27T10:54:06+00:00
sourceurl: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1rg3kw1/ineverestimateonthecallbestengineering/
word_count: 397
Link: https://l.perspectiveship.com/re-auru
Score: 146 | Comments: 28 | Subreddit: r/programming
Top Comments
u/grady_vuckovic (112 pts):
That's something I learnt years ago too.
Someone throws a bunch of ideas at me for something they vaguely have defined that they want?
Me today:
"OK great, I'm going to gather more information on this and ask more questions about it over the coming days, I'll work out a rough idea of what would be involved in creating it and see if you like the plan, and if so we can estimate how much it might cost and how long it might take."
Idiot me, 10 years ago:
"Uuummmmm.... errr.... idk... maybe ... a month?"
Idiot me suffered through a lot of painful lessons before eventually learning the hard way that you never give an estimate on time or budget on the spot.
It's OK to say you don't know...
When you're new at it, you get nervous, you lack confidence, you think if someone asks you to present an answer to a question, that it means you should have the answer. With time you learn it's OK to actually not have an answer and in fact it actually looks far more professional to admit that and to explain you need to actually think about it first before giving one. Makes it look a lot less like you're guessing. (You still are guessing but you are guessing with more confidence at least!)
And remember when it comes to time estimates, it's far better to give a time estimate that you will beat, then a time estimate you will just barely not succeed at meeting. It's better to exceed low expectations routinely than fail at meeting unrealistic expectations.
u/[deleted] (21 pts):
You get to make estimates? My company just tells me when the deadline is.
u/deanrihpee (17 pts):
i wish it's that easy, or i guess it's because I'm from a 3rd world country so we haven't caught up yet, whenever i try to respond "I can't answer it for now as i just get all the information in this call, i'll assess it and go back to you later" then project manager will ask "just give us rough estimate" but when I give some "safe rough" estimate that ultimately still way off, they look unsatisfied, and I'm not even lead/senior level, well at least that's not what my official title and my paycheck tell me, but i still have to be the one that make decisions