The article discusses how software companies estimate their projects and why they choose certain methods. The researchers surveyed senior managers from 18 companies and project managers from 52 projects to gather information on estimation accuracy. They found that on average, projects exceed their estimated effort by 41%. Despite advancements in technology, estimation accuracy has not improved much in the past 10-20 years. Expert estimation is the most common method used, and formal estimation models do not significantly impact accuracy. Software managers often believe their estimation accuracy is better than it actually is.