[RegW]

> i've heard business leaders express the suspicion that sw eng teams are trying to avoid accountability by claiming estimating is too hard.

If we say that we don't know how long its going to take or how much its going to cost - can you blame them?

Lots devs like me have a comms issue. We would love to deliver stunningly brilliant complete package on the first attempt and we come across as secretive. We need to made to think about delivering an MVP and building a product up incrementally. This way those nervious bosses and investors can see that something is happening. I think the question is often not "how long is it going to take?", but rather "will you ever deliver something I can sell?".