a pile of rocks
Real world example of why estimating sucks … I ordered some stone to cover a patch of soil on our drive way. I used the tool on their website (ie, what people had done before doing the same job) and built in some contingency, I used bigger bags and ordered more than the tool said.

After I ordered it the client (my wife) said, oh, you might as well do the strip down the other side too, it’s smaller and you’ve ordered too much … uh oh, scope creep!.

Anyway, turns out that what I ordered wasn’t enough to do the original plan. Why? Well I don’t know but I think it’s because what I’m covering is on a slope so while the measurements are x & y, the surface area is bigger because of the slope. Something I didn’t learn and something the tool didn’t account for either.

So yeah, estimating based on past experience doing the same task and building in contingency didn’t work for my small DIY job either.

Down with estimates!

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