To Stop Estimating, Your Team Has to Deliver Continuously First
The only #noestimates article you'll ever need
Dinner out
Picture you go to a restaurant. Your favorite one. A place you have been before. You know the waiters, you know the menu. You have eaten there before and enjoyed it.
You take your spouse, best friends, colleagues.
It’s a lovely setup.
You order from the menu. Everyone at the table does.
At what point in the evening do you tell the waiter…
“Excuse me. When will my food arrive?”
I’ll let that sink in for a moment.
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Ok, ready?
Feeling Annoyed when Things Take Too Long
I often ask this question during my presentations. To estimate by gut feeling, I shamelessly claim 19 in 20 responded with answers that all translate to “When the food is late.”
You see, no one cares about estimates when the food is arriving constantly in a timely manner.
That’s because when you see things moving, you can create your own forecast for how smoothly things are moving.
Sit down at a tourist-heavy restaurant with 40 pairs looking annoyed at their empty table? Chances are you can tell something’s going very slowly.
My Forecast. Your Forecast. When all else fails, Estimate
What every guest cares about is their own ability to forecast when the food will arrive. That’s the one they trust the most. Failing that, they ask someone involved for a forecast.
If this person claims they don’t know or it’s unknowable… guess what follows?
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I don’t need to write it down, you’re thinking it loud.
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You’re a great audience.
What about…
Ah yes - now you’re wondering what that one person said.
They ask how long before they order. Because they are in a hurry.
Is your team constantly in a hurry?