Project estimate
Team × weeks × rate + buffer → estimate
Team
Estimate
1 120 hours
$49 920
| Developer ×2 | $25 600 |
| PM ×0.5 | $5 600 |
| QA ×0.5 | $4 800 |
| Designer ×0.5 | $5 600 |
Estimate = Σ(role × rate × 40h × weeks) × (1+risk). Risk buffer: MVP 15–25%, legacy 30–50%, integrations +20%. A discovery phase (5–10% of project) yields real estimates, not guesses.