Comment Re:Untie the bonuses from the schedule... (Score 1) 186
If the task in front of you is so revolutionary that it has never been done before, then you really are building a prototype. This belongs in the realm of R&D which has its own theories and methodologies for handling project scheduling. However, most software projects are built using a set of known technologies. If you properly decompose your system design, an experienced developer should be able to estimate the amount of time required to code each part with a reasonable margin of error. So you are not asking for the time to build the entire data entry screen, but how long to mockup the interface, then add the data validation, then server interaction, and then the middle ware component that writes the data to the database. So not all that different from most construction projects, which all have their own creative aspects such as architectural design elements, floor plans, and color pallet for the furnishings, along with the more mundane aspects like the amount of time required to weld the support structure, and let the concrete cure.