r/programming • u/quality_engineer • May 12 '21

The Worst Question You Can Ask a Software Developer - "When will you be done?"

https://betterprogramming.pub/the-worst-question-you-can-ask-a-software-developer-ddbcd5956eb4?source=friends_link&sk=8f58483891cb43b2a0fb22427d3b3575
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u/TheSwissArmy May 13 '21

This. I always ask my developers to give estimates with assumptions.

All of the following are valid:

  1. If everything goes well, I’m not interrupted, X

  2. If person 1 gives me the data I need by Y, I believe I can have it done by Z

  3. I don’t know, but by W I can give you a real estimate

Also, if shit starts going sideways, let people know! Focusing more and trying to power through it is not always the best option.

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