{"id":4566,"date":"2010-02-17T16:35:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-17T16:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/68.169.38.31\/?p=4566"},"modified":"2010-02-17T16:35:00","modified_gmt":"2010-02-17T16:35:00","slug":"wag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gormogons.com\/index.php\/2010\/02\/wag\/","title":{"rendered":"W.A.G."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you ever been asked how long it would take you do complete a task you’ve never done before?  You might have familiarity with the general approach or of some of the steps required, but in general it comes down to a wild ass guess (WAG).  In some circles you get a SWAG (Scientific wild ass guess) where you have some parameters, past experience or knowledge that assists in bettering the guess but in the end it’s still a guess.  Sure, you could call it an estimate.  The real trick is, over time, whether you improve your guesses.  Some firms will always estimate low in an attempt to win the work being the least costly.  Generally, it fails to cover the resources and\/or time required and they end up overrunning or failing to complete.  Others estimate way too high and lose out as people get sticker shock.  Sometimes, these estimates were closer than people thought based on what was asked for in terms of work required, schedules and other parameters.<\/p>\n

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So why is any of this interesting to you?  Veronique de Rugy has an interesting piece here <\/a>and here <\/a>worth reading.  The bottom line is that 9 out of every 10 government run programs experience cost overruns and blow out their original estimate.  Some key ones to consider:<\/div>\n
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