How We Scope Projects (And Why Most Estimates Are Wrong)

Bad estimates kill projects. A client expects X, the developer estimated X but actually needed 2X, and everyone ends up frustrated. Here's how we avoid that.

Why estimates go wrong

The #1 reason: scope is vague. "Build a CRM" means wildly different things to different people. If the scope document has any sentence that could be interpreted two ways, it will be - in the most expensive direction.

Our scoping process

1. Problem definition (not solution definition) We start with what's broken, not what to build. "Our team spends 10 hours a week on manual data entry" is a better starting point than "we need an integration."

2. User story mapping Every feature is written as a user story with acceptance criteria. Not "the system should handle payments" but "as an admin, I can process a refund and the customer receives an email confirmation within 60 seconds."

3. Explicit exclusions What we're NOT building is as important as what we are. We list exclusions in every scope document.

4. Buffer for the unknown Every project has unknowns. We build in a 15-20% buffer and tell the client about it upfront. If we don't use it, the project comes in under budget.

The deliverable

Our scope documents include: user stories with acceptance criteria, technical architecture overview, explicit exclusions, timeline with milestones, and fixed pricing tied to the defined scope.

If scope changes - and it sometimes does - we document the change, adjust the estimate, and get approval before proceeding. No surprise invoices.