148
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
I estimated this would take one month,
At this point into your text I was fully prepared to tell you how ridiculously short that timeframe is to develop an app on your own that does this. But it ...
- 108k
81
votes
Accepted
I am a full-stack engineer but my manager wants to make me do frontend development exclusively
You should talk to your manager. If you were given the impression that you would do full stack work, and that's not the case, then your manager should figure out that you are not happy about that, and ...
- 151k
51
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
1 month is about 150 hours, so you've estimated twice what another developer estimated. That is within the normal margin of error for software projects.
Unless you both independently develop this ...
- 3,240
42
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
I didn't realize just how conservative it was compared to another iOS engineer's estimate of 60-80 hours when he told me
It's a common tactic to try and get estimates lessened to say someone else ...
- 197k
40
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
First of all, that VB application should be under source control.
Second, you'd need to find a way to create an application that is a mix of .net and VB6. It's not something that I know about, but if ...
- 151k
39
votes
Accepted
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
There needs to be a clear plan, with documented milestones for the rewritten project, and this needs to be done in conjunction with the ongoing development of the legacy codebase. This shouldn't just ...
- 7,683
32
votes
I am a full-stack engineer but my manager wants to make me do frontend development exclusively
While the company may have employed you to do Fe, or BE or both, over time their needs can change.
How they use you in the short-term may be just for FE.
But you manager may well take note of your ...
- 16.1k
24
votes
I am a full-stack engineer but my manager wants to make me do frontend development exclusively
How would you approach this situation? What would you tell the manager
in order to keep doing full-stack and at the same time not leave a bad
impression?
Just explain that you came to the company to ...
- 346k
18
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
You can't avoid over-estimating or under-estimating the work, because there is no right answer. Your estimate must take into account a lot of variables that you can't know in advance, and other ...
- 1,564
15
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
To avoid overestimation, here are my suggestions:
Get input from experienced software engineers before giving the customers the estimated costs
If you work in a company with many experienced software ...
- 5,408
13
votes
Accepted
Can I Ever Become a Decent Programmer?
I suspect you're worried about the wrong thing. I have a background in AI, ML/data mining, and software development with a PhD and 35 years in industry and research, so my perspective might be useful ...
- 4,043
10
votes
I am a full-stack engineer but my manager wants to make me do frontend development exclusively
Ultimately, companies pay you to do the work that they need doing now, not what you want to do.
You can ask to do other work. But if there's a lot of front-end work on, then that's what they will put ...
- 12.1k
10
votes
I am a full-stack engineer but my manager wants to make me do frontend development exclusively
Every answer here has missed the crucial question:
Why does she want you to do frontend only?
Every answer here has addressed your needs, but we don't know why your boss is planning on making this ...
- 2,031
9
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
The idea of moving a piece at a time to "better" technology is commonly called the Strangler Fig pattern. Check out https://paulhammant.com/2013/07/14/legacy-application-strangulation-case-...
- 191
8
votes
I am a full-stack engineer but my manager wants to make me do frontend development exclusively
This is the problem with companies that want "full stack". It's never actually "full stack"; when a company writes "full stack" on a job description it's because they ...
- 40.8k
7
votes
I am a full-stack engineer but my manager wants to make me do frontend development exclusively
It's really difficult to be a true "full stack" engineer these days. I cringe whenever I hear it. You might be able to claim the title if you have 20+ years of experience and have grown up ...
- 7,339
6
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
If you can properly justify your estimate with sound reasoning, and show this to your client(s), then this is what matters most.
What follows is a particular experience I had which, I hope, will help ...
- 1,572
5
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
You really, really need that VB application in source control. As Clumsy cat mentioned in a comment on an answer, you don't need the VB developers to use that repo (though it would be helpful), nor do ...
- 1,114
4
votes
Accepted
How valuable are logic test results during developers' recruiting process?
Every employer treats these type of tests differently. Some put incredible weight on these tests at this stage of the hiring process. Some put so little weight on these tests that they never even ...
- 61.7k
4
votes
Can I Ever Become a Decent Programmer?
You're thinking about this quote too deeply.
Being able to be a career programmer ultimately boils down to two things:
Can you solve problems?
Can you work well with others?
If the answer to both of ...
3
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
In addition the the other fine answers, you need to commit way more resources to the new application than the old one, otherwise you will never catch up. Something along the lines of a 80/20 split in ...
- 6,514
3
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
I agree with Gnasher that a module-by-module approach could work. I would do it like this:
Analyse the current application. Find a framework to combine .net and VB parts. Identify modules that can be ...
3
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
I think the big problem is that they appear to be tying hours of work directly to days in a week which isn't accurate.
However, I didn't realize just how conservative it was compared to another iOS ...
- 757
3
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
Software always takes longer than estimated. I recommend an estimating technique an experienced IT person explained to me a long time ago: (1) calculate your best estimate based on your experience ...
- 147
3
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
Adding this as a new answer, though it sort of just refutes the original assumption. You said,
How might I avoid such a discrepancy of 2-3x in the future, and potentially navigate situations like ...
- 546
3
votes
Accepted
Promotion to "Senior" after less than 2 years of working, potential dangers?
There is little consistency between employers. I have see the removal of Junior after just a year or two. I have seen the addition of senior just as quickly. Other companies expect 5 to 10 years of ...
- 61.7k
3
votes
What are some good questions for gauging what various software teams are like to work with?
@Gh0stFish provided a great list of questions. I would think about which handful of those are most important to you and ask them.
I would make a small modification to most of them though. Instead of ...
- 480
2
votes
Offshore Personnel Feeling Left Out from Onshore Team
Seems to me like OPs main problem is a feeling of frustration. You seem to be researching the best practices of your field and are thinking about ways to improve your team's work. But you feel like ...
2
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
Let me tell you from experience, that we have something similar going on for - porting a big (not huge) program from VB6 to C#. Since then the program is in a hybrid code state, and it's not exactly ...
- 1,020
1
vote
Can I Ever Become a Decent Programmer?
You can probably do anything if you apply yourself and have the right opportunities.
Nothing you have described seems insurmountable to me. I'm not a developer but the fact that you got a degree means ...
- 197k
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