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We've been asked by a client to give us a time estimate on each and every bug we have.
Though we do have a set schedule for bug fixing and have allocated time for it, we don't have a time allocation on each of the bugs we have. Simply, we have prioritized our bugs and have ensured that Highest priority bugs will be fixed in the time allotted.
I'm not a fan of allocating time to bugs, simply because:
How should we tackle this issue where we don't want to provide the number of hours per bug, but just a time frame as to what bugs will be fixed?
How do you allocate time to your bugs? Is it effective? Worth the time and effort?
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We define the bug fix time as the calendar time from the creation of a bug record to the time the bug is resolved as fixed. Although each bug is assigned with severity and a a priority, we find that we cannot simply predict bug-fixing time based merely on bug severity or priority.
Although each bug is assigned with severity and a a priority, we find that we cannot simply predict bug-fixing time based merely on bug severity or priority. Bug-fixing time is affected by many other factors such as bug owners and bug types.
Bug-fixing time is affected by many other factors such as bug owners and bug types. Different bugs may require different amount of time to fix. The ability to estimate bug-fixing time is important for increasing customer satisfaction as well as for project planning.
Due to data sensitivity, only relative time scales are given, measured in “ normalized units ”, where 1 unit is approximately equal to the median time needed to fix a bug of Project A. We rank the bugs according to their fix time (in descending order, the bug with the longest fix time is ranked in the top).
The only answer I can give is to be extremely conservative. Guess how long it will take, and multiple your guess by four. Use that as your estimate. As you said, it's very difficult to figure out how long things will take to fix, and it's better to say it will take longer than it actually does than to be caught "breaking your deadline" because you weren't conservative enough.
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