An "Ah-ha!" moment to share

First off, major props to @NateSchneider, one of the ringleaders of @devCoulee, for a very useful presentation on project estimating. Second off, thanks to everyone at the meeting for the highly thought-provoking discussion of generating client/user feedback. Pure bubble-bursting, mojo-revving awesomeness.

But if I had to pick the moment that was worth the price of admission--which includes two hours of the non-work time that's running at a steep premium this week--it would be the distinction between time estimates and target dates in software project development (a distinction that likely applies to many research & development projects as well.)

That "Ah-ha! moment--was this: Project schedule estimates translate features into time; target dates translate time into features. In other words, it's the difference between these two questions:

• Project Estimate: "How much time will it take to add these bells & whistles?"
• Target Date: "How many bells & whistles can we add in this time-frame?"

This is not--I repeat, not--a matter of semantics. We are not splitting hairs, counting the angels that can dance on the head of a pin, or discussing anything remotely resembling philosophy here. These are merely the hard-nosed, real-world options. And you can only have one--no substitutions.