When drawing on your own experience (or even that of others), it is important not to exclude occasions when a particular task took an excessive or embarrassing length of time. If you had several negative outcomes (for instance, you previously accomplished a similar or identical task over a period greater than that which you wish to accomplish your present task), factor it into your estimation process. Never discount prior results simply because you are dissatisfied with them. This could cause you to underestimate or overestimate the time needed for tasks., If there are mitigating factors that could impinge on your ability to estimate the time needed for tasks, include them in your estimation process. For instance, if you know that you are a procrastinator, or if you have multiple tasks ahead of the new task you’re developing an estimate for, include those factors in your estimation process. Doing so will help you yield a more accurate final estimate for a given task., Developing a more accurate estimate of the time needed for a given task does not require that your estimate be completely accurate. Use your familiarity with the task at hand as well as all relevant mitigating factors to assign the estimate an accuracy rating.For instance, you might say, “I am 75% certain I can complete this in a week.”If you wish, you could follow up with a more pessimistic estimate by saying something like “I am 100% certain I could finish this in two weeks.”
Communicating your level of confidence in your estimate is especially important if you are developing a task completion estimate for someone else.
Acknowledge negative outcomes.
Attend to special conditions.
Assign an accuracy rating to your estimate.
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