Evidence-based scheduling: Difference between revisions

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'''Evidence-based Scheduling''' is a [[software]] [[schedule|estimation approach]] created by [[Joel Spolsky]], a commentator on software engineering principles<ref name="JoS Book">[http://www.amazon.com/Joel-Software-Occasionally-Developers-Designers/dp/1590593898/ Joel on Software (book)]</ref>.

One of the core ideas of Evidence-based Scheduling, that adds to the normal estimation practices, is the idea of '''including all time spent, regardless of relevance'''.

Most people, when estimating, measure the time they actually spend on a project - classic Time Accounting categories such as cited in McConnell's ''Software Project Survival Guide''<ref name="SPSG">[http://www.amazon.com/Software-Project-Survival-Guide-Practices/dp/1572316217 Software Project Survival Guide]</ref> do not allow for accounting for non-project activities. Whilst McConnell goes on to include less obvious activities such as holidays, sick days and project support, he and most others identify such as activities to be separately recorded.

Recording and attempting to [[budget]] for secondary activities often leads to political pressure to drop such activities. In practice, people find themselves unable to avoid them and compensate by working [[overtime]].