Question

Let's say that I have made a list of 15 things in FogBugz to do. I start the clock on #1. As I get deeper into #1, I realize that I'm also making huge headway on 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9. In addition, by the time I've finished checking in the code & unit tests for #1, I realize that I've also finished #15.

How can I tell EBS to take this into consideration?

I know that I can move things around later (such as marking 2-5 and 9 as "duplicate", copying and pasting the text from 2-5 & 9 into #1, and moving the time from 2-5 & 9 to #1) on but will EBS use the new estimates?

On a side note, it's not always easy or possible to do the stuff I put in parentheses.

Answer 1

Okay, so, the core thing about EBS is this:

Capture data about the present and recent past to be able to predict the future later on.

This is why it's not so important that you be an accurate estimator, but that your inaccuracies are somewhat consistent.

The example you offer happens in software development all the time, and I'm afraid there's just no way around it from an EBS standpoint. It's very common for improvements in one part of the product to obviate bug fixes in another.

You can feel free to retroactively parcel out portions of the time interval you charged to case #1. Give a half-hour to each of 2-5, an hour to 9, and close them with a "work done" resolution.

I don't think a great deal is gained by closing the other ones as duplicates, and, as you point out, this is rather fiddly to do via the interface. Rather, give them their own time (an estimate will do), and close them out. It'll help you predict how things will happen in your next release.