Automatically estimate work timelines based on past performance

Estimating when features will be delivered is notoriously hard. And often, these estimates are just wrong. Why? Because solving technical challenges can be unpredictable. Yet dates still matter. Customers and colleagues want to know what is coming and when so they can coordinate their own activities. Today's update takes the guesswork out of this process.

Automatically generate initial estimates for new features in Aha! Roadmaps based on historical cycle time data in Aha! Teamwork and Aha! Develop.

First, a quick recap of how product managers can work closely with engineering and delivery teams to manage estimates at different stages of the planning process in Aha! software.

Start by setting an initial estimate in Aha! Roadmaps. This helps you gauge effort as you build out your roadmap. As implementation gets closer, teams add detailed estimates in Aha! Teamwork or Aha! Develop based on a deeper understanding of the requirements. Keep track of the actual effort so you can compare the difference between your estimates and how long it actually took to complete the work.

Today's update enables you to quickly set those initial estimates based on past performance. Our software automatically analyzes the team's cycle time for implementing similar features in Aha! Teamwork and Aha! Develop, suggesting a realistic estimate to inform your plans.

To get started, enable the new Suggested initial estimates option in the Capacity planning section of your Team settings. Then, define how to calculate suggested estimates:

• Start status and End status: Determine when the clock starts and stops

• Time period: How far back you want to analyze historical data

• Confidence level: Adjusts the prediction based on your risk tolerance

• Estimate filter: Refines your estimates further (for example, by feature type or T-shirt size)

Once enabled, when you assign a feature to a team in Aha! Teamwork or Aha! Develop, the new Suggest an estimate button appears right next to the Initial estimate field in Aha! Roadmaps. In the example below, we estimate a new feature for a fictitious cycling app. We assign it to the front-end engineering team and click the button. Based on historical data for similar features, the suggested estimate is four days.

That gives us a solid starting point. We can use the estimate as-is or refine it based on other context.

Estimating delivery dates will always be challenging. But now, you can make smarter predictions based on real performance data.

Suggested initial estimates are available for Aha! Roadmaps accounts connected to Aha! Teamwork or Aha! Develop — and for teams using Aha! Teamwork or Aha! Develop on their own. This is part of our ongoing effort to help you plan with greater clarity and confidence.

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Aha! Teamwork is the flexible project management tool. Complete all tasks, streamline workflows, and increase visibility. Aha! Develop helps agile development teams connect to the roadmap, optimize workload, and streamline delivery. Use Aha! Teamwork or Aha! Develop with Aha! Roadmaps to keep operations, IT, marketing, and engineering teams aligned with your overall strategy. Sign up for a free 30-day trial or join a live demo to see why more than 1 million product builders trust our software to build lovable products and be happy doing it.