Why software estimates are always wrong, and how to plan anyway
A calmer way to budget software: ranges, milestones and the conversations estimates should trigger.
Nov 2025·6 min read·Savo Technologies
Every software estimate is wrong. The honest ones are wrong in a useful direction. The dishonest ones are single numbers delivered with confidence and defended until launch.
Estimate ranges, price milestones
We quote ranges that narrow as learning arrives, and price fixed milestones inside them. You buy certainty per slice; we carry the uncertainty between slices. That is what the two week trial is for on both sides.
- A range with assumptions written down is a plan; a single number is a wish.
- Every milestone ends with working software you can stop at.
- When reality diverges from the range, the conversation happens that week, not at delivery.
The purpose of an estimate is not prediction. It is deciding what to build first, and making the number honest enough to plan a business on.
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