Over and over again, I stumble upon web projects where someone other than the developer has estimated the development time. Nothing could be more wrong.
A developer, no one else, should estimate the time for a set of tasks involving development.
Even more important, the developer(s) involved in the project, should do the time estimation.
Why is this? Well, for starters, this will give you a more accurate timesheet. And this will certainly help your customer relationship.
Here's some more reasons to why developers and no one else should do the time estimates:
- Developers probably has the best knowledge of how much time a specific task will consume
- A more accurate time estimation will actually give you an idea on how much time is needed for a specific project, making planning a bit easier
- Issues might be found earlier
It's a no-brainer, the craftsman whose expertise area is development, should do the time estimation.
So when the next project is due - take your time and make sure a developer does the time estimation before a time limit and definite price is set with the customer. It'll help you a lot.