My mentor at my first job was a mid-level dev 10 years younger than me. He was an all-around great and knowledgeable guy. When he'd get asked for an estimate on something without proper details in the ticket, he'd reply that a spike was needed before any kind of estimate, and that's how it would usually proceed.

Sometimes, however, the PM would insist on an immediate estimate. My mentor would then, without hesitation, reply: "8 points" (a full sprint in our company).

"But why that long when you don't know the details?"

"Exactly. Give me a spike to find out, and then it could be less."

None of us other devs contradicted him, junior or senior, because we understood where he was coming from. Needless to say, I learned a lot from him including how not to kill myself so someone else could get a tap on the back.

[–] kambusha@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Spike?

[–] lemmeBe@sh.itjust.works 23 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Spike's a short period set aside to research a problem before committing to how long it'll take to solve it.

[–] Kojichan@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Good grief. I would have loved those.

[–] lemmeBe@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

Even with them, it's sometimes guesswork. Without them, it's just stabbing in the dark. 😄

[–] ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Yes, equal to 3 thermals or 6 splinters.

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