Evidence-based scheduling: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:23, 1 May 2011

Revision as of 19:48, 5 December 2012

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{{Orphan|date=December 2012}}

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

'''Evidence-based Scheduling''' is a [[software estimation]] approach created by [[Joel Spolsky]], a commentator on software engineering principles.<ref name="JoS Book">[http://www.amazon.com/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'''.

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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]].

As Spolsky points out ,<ref name="EBS">[http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2007/10/26.html Evidence Based Scheduling - Joel on Software]</ref>, your bosses' stories about his fishing trips, or model helicopter, are both a time-sink and politically dangerous to put on a time-reporting system.

The key insight in Evidence-based Scheduling is that the only thing which needs measuring is the actual delivery of tasks. Over time, it is assumed that all other distractions will average out.