Effort Estimate
A number with a range, derived from projects we have actually built.
- Range
- Assumptions
- Comparable
How it works
We do not estimate by feel, and not by hourly rate times hoped-for duration. We compare.
What we compare against
We have built projects whose effort we know — not estimated, invoiced. Yours is measured against them: which parts correspond, where yours is larger, where smaller. It is unglamorous and considerably more accurate than any formula.
Why a range
The lower bound holds when everything lines up: requirements stay stable, interfaces behave as documented, sign-offs come quickly. The upper bound holds when the usual happens. We give you both, because only the pair is an honest statement.
What the estimate hangs on
Every number comes with its assumptions. For example, that the existing data is clean enough to migrate. If that turns out to be wrong, you know immediately which number moves and why — rather than facing an unexplained additional invoice.
If a rough figure is enough before we talk: the app calculator on this site runs the same logic in miniature.
- The roadmap from the previous step. Without a cut, we would only be guessing.
- Clarity about what you take on yourselves — design, testing, project management.
An estimate per phase with a lower and an upper bound, the assumptions it rests on, and what would move it.
If you skip this
Without an estimate, money gets discussed once it has been spent. And a single number without a range is not an estimate, it is a promise nobody can keep.
Questions about this step?
A conversation costs nothing and takes half an hour. Afterwards you will know whether we are a fit.