When asked about project "success", I believe our stock response is; "Why yes, every project I've worked on has come in on time and on budget!" At face value, that is a truthful, albeit potentially misleading, statement since estimates should be continuously re-evaluated as the project proceeds. However, it's also (mostly) true that the measure by which all projects are gauged is how close you were to your initial, "pulled from the aether" guess! On the other hand, how many times have you been derisively dismissed when you've tried to be truthful about what it's really going to take to get the job done. Several cliches immediately come to mind -- pay me now, or pay me later; and rework is apparently cheaper than good work. Soooo.... what are we going to do about it? Here's your chance to compare notes and suggestions about what works, what doesn't and to share how you achieve Nirvana -- the accurate and timely estimate.