> it's a guess and can never be anything but a guess
Of course it's a guess. The question is how to make more accurate guesses.
Of course it's a guess. The question is how to make more accurate guesses.
I think the question should be about how to maximize the net return on time dedicated to development, which may mean spending less time on (and investing less reliance on) estimates rather than expending unbounded effort improving the quality of estimates.