Relevant to the HN crowd and a helpful explainer of at least one psychological reason why projects are often underestimated:
"In one series of studies, people predicted how quickly they (or others) would complete various work projects and whether they would meet their deadlines. They were overoptimistic about themselves (but not others) because they focused on their industrious motives and intentions rather than their past behavior or the behavior of others in similar situations (6)."
"In one series of studies, people predicted how quickly they (or others) would complete various work projects and whether they would meet their deadlines. They were overoptimistic about themselves (but not others) because they focused on their industrious motives and intentions rather than their past behavior or the behavior of others in similar situations (6)."