For the estimated -vs- actual report, I would like to know when in the lifecycle of a work item is the "estimated" value captured for determining accuracy in estimation?

I can surmise a few options

a) when the estimate is originally entered.
b) the estimate when someone starts the work item and it becomes "in progress"
c) when the work item is closed

Option c) seems like it would potentially allow people to cheat the system since I could correct the estimate to the actual hours when finishing the work item.

Option a) seems like it does not allow for the refinement of estimates that often occur before a work item is started

What the really happening so I know how to interpret the metric correctly?

Short answer: a), but you can modify the estimate at any time.

Long answer: http://jazz.net/library/article/202/

The short answer is that there is no "right" answer ... it is up to you
when and what you want to measure.

There are three standard fields:
- estimate
- revised estimate
- actual

There is no built-in enforcement of when these respective fields are
changed, but one possible convention is:
- estimate is updated until the beginning of the iteration in which a
work item is scheduled
- revised estimate is updated until the work item is actually started

If you want different measures from this, you can use the data warehouse
to query for values of these fields at other times that might be of
interest to you.

Also, you can just add in additional custom estimation fields, if you like.

Cheers,
Geoff


On 9/23/2010 8:53 AM, clkolde wrote:

For the estimated -vs- actual report, I would like to know when in the
lifecycle of a work item is the "estimated" value captured
for determining accuracy in estimation?

I can surmise a few options

a) when the estimate is originally entered.
b) the estimate when someone starts the work item and it becomes
"in progress"
c) when the work item is closed

Option c) seems like it would potentially allow people to cheat the
system since I could correct the estimate to the actual hours when
finishing the work item.

Option a) seems like it does not allow for the refinement of estimates
that often occur before a work item is started

What the really happening so I know how to interpret the metric
correctly?