How are you validating estimate completeness before moving into review?

Question

This came up in a recent conversation, about sending reviews and I was hoping to hear from the Community.

Before sending an estimate for review, what are the key things you are checking to make sure you have confidence its ready for the next phase? And are there places you find you catch gaps more than others?

Tim.Mowery · Accepted Answer

At our organization, the estimate is initially assembled using the RFP, BOE, and SOW provided to the Estimating team, typically from our internal engineering groups.  Before moving to broader reviews, the discipline estimating teams validate the estimate against historical cost and productivity data from similar projects to confirm completeness, reasonableness, and alignment with the project scope.

The disciplines then meet with their counterparts to conduct reviews and Q&A sessions to identify gaps, assumptions, risks, and unresolved items.  Once those reviews are complete, the full project team reviews the estimate, schedule, and execution approach to ensure the costs, means and methods, and project strategy are aligned.

The estimate then progresses through a series of increasingly focused reviews with project leadership and management.  Each review adds another layer of validation, helping build confidence that the estimate is complete, aligned with project objectives, and ready for the next phase.

In my experience, the most common gaps are found at discipline interfaces, scope assumptions, and areas where estimated costs may not fully align with the planned execution strategy.