They should laugh and tell you no. Interrogate why they need 2 additional months to build it the right way. Why didn't they build it the right way to begin with, adjusting approach at every step?
In my experience, engineers (I am one too) tend to reach for quick and easy more than correct and hard, and that choice is coming from them, not the business.
I just had a ticket that was supposed to take 2 hours but took 6. A process that was created 2 contractors ago was unknown to anyone and I had to figure it out from scratch. My PM complained that I didn't complete in the time estimated and that some of these hours couldn't be billed.
If that's the situation, why would anyone explore the "right way to begin with" instead of what's quickest? The right way is the way the business accounts for, not what creates the best quality product and experience. Story as old as time.
"Supposed to take 2 hours"... Who said it should take 2 hours? And an estimate is not a promise. You did the right thing. Sounds like your PM is terrible.
> In my experience, engineers (I am one too) tend to reach for quick and easy more than correct and hard, and that choice is coming from them, not the business
In my experience, devs do this because they're required to meet a deadline that is shorter than it should be.
Even if they get a say in the timeline they might botch their initial estimate. I might guess 2 months to build this thing for which I have barely even had a chance to look at, let alone design, because I'm still trying to finish up my last project and then when I get into it and find a cluster bomb waiting for me they're already planning my next quarter. Or some things need to be rushed because they're holding up 5 other projects
It is true, the art of building complex products is to avoid shutting any doors by choosing short cuts or acquiring tech debt that can't be paid. If there are features that can't be implemented because of limitations, it's probably already too late.
>In my experience, engineers (I am one too) tend to reach for quick and easy more than correct and hard, and that choice is coming from them, not the business.
you get what you pay for. I tend to suggest the easy and "correct" way on any given feature with estimates for each. My lead will 99% go for easy. Don't know who up the chain is at fault, but that is clearly the preference.
>It's their job to stand by the truth of the work. If management can't deal with that, I'd be looking for my next place to work.
pretty easy way to end up jumping jobs every 2-3 years. I haven't found that "good management" yet, 6 years and 3 jobs later. It may not even exist in my industry.
In my experience, engineers (I am one too) tend to reach for quick and easy more than correct and hard, and that choice is coming from them, not the business.