What conclusion would you like me to reach?

Why is it that the rest of the world has functioned fine on estimating projects of many sizes and scopes, then sticking to them; while IT screams "OH WE can't do that!"?

I'll admit a large reason is because lots of people in IT are really bad at estimating. But part of the reason we've managed to stay so bad at estimating, and the main reason all estimates seem to be so far off, is that the business side wants the estimates to be low.

The common complaint is that IT projects are "always over time and over budget". Since the IT budget (for software) is almost entirely salary, time and budget are synonymous. When you set the budget, you’ve just set the time.

But most IT projects -- and nearly every one I've worked on -- have a budget set before the detailed design is ever done. Or at least the clients have an idea in mind what they'd like it to cost. So without realizing they’re doing so, the clients set the time estimate sometimes before they’ve ever talked to the developers.

I had to help out some less-experienced people who were being asked for estimates. I told them the trick is to figure out a diplomatic way to ask, "What number would you like me to say?"

The funny thing is that this is not just being cynical, either. There's real value to it. If you're thinking four months and the client says three days, there's a good chance you don't have the same idea in mind for what you plan to do.

For instance, they ask you to write a search engine "like Google" to put on your intranet. You're thinking a couple of months. They're thinking end of the week.

It turns out they want you to buy a Google search appliance and integrate it into the intranet. To the client, "write" "create" "implement" "install" and all those other words we use that mean different things ... all mean the same thing: work that the IT guys do.

So if you want to get the work -- or if you’re an employee and have no choice in the matter -- see what number they have in mind already and tell them what they can have in that length of time. If you don't promise to deliver something in the given time frame, they'll go find someone who will. Not that they'll deliver in that time, but they'll promise to deliver in that time.

Compare this to construction. The client may get five quotes for pouring concrete. If four of the bids are close to $50k, but one of them is $20k, the client will likely assume the low bid is unrealistic and choose among the remaining contractors.

But if a programmer or independent software vendor says some work will cost $50k, the client can find someone who will promise to deliver for $20k. The sponsor will either accept the lower bid, or use it to negotiate the first vendor down to $25k. When it ends up costing $50k, that project goes in the books as "over time and over budget".

What would it look like if construction bids were awarded the same way? If for instance the client were required by law to select the lowest bid? Then contractors would low-ball every bid to get the contract. You’d end up with construction that always ran over time and over budget. You would need an endless supply of money to stay in business. You would need to be … the government.