Has anyone asked you this yet? "AI writes the code now, so why is the estimate still so big?" This talk is my answer.
I write presales estimates at QED42. This year I changed how I estimate work that an AI agent builds and a person steers, checks and fixes.
What I learned:
- AI saves a lot of time on some Drupal tasks and very little on others. A flat "AI discount" gets it wrong both ways.
- Some AI mistakes show on the page. Others stay hidden until a client finds them. Work where mistakes hide keeps most of its hours.
- AI-built projects carry costs that sit outside every task. Leave them out and you under-quote.
- My first estimates were too optimistic. Checking them against real work fixed that.
What I'll cover:
- How to tell which Drupal work speeds up with AI, and which doesn't
- The costs people forget when they estimate AI-built work
- How to check an estimate against real logged hours
- How to explain AI savings to clients without crashing your own rates
You'll leave with the questions to ask before you put an AI discount on your next estimate.
For: agency leads, project managers, presales teams and architects.