Cost Estimation

1. Define estimate dimensions: build effort, validation effort, risk overhead.
2. Gather missing evidence for unknown assumptions.
3. Break cost into 3-point ranges (low, likely, high).
4. Identify dominant cost drivers and uncertainty sources.
5. Propose scope controls that reduce cost without violating outcomes.
6. Run cove when confidence is not high.

Outputs

• Cost estimate summary by dimension
• 3-point range (low, likely, high)
• Confidence level and uncertainty drivers
• Cost-reduction options with trade-offs
• Recommended option and next step

Output Format

• estimate_summary
• three_point_range
• confidence_and_uncertainty
• cost_reduction_options
• recommended_option

Handoff to Other Skills

• Use investigation when evidence is incomplete.
• Use impact-scan when risk and blast radius drive uncertainty.
• Use proposal-generation to turn chosen option into a plan.
• Use task-decomposition to convert estimate into executable phases.

Command Integration

• Estimate validation cost explicitly against /build, /test-one, /test, /lint, and /verify.

Notes

• Keep estimates relative and decision-oriented unless exact units are requested.
• Prefer transparent assumptions over false precision.