> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.meerietechnology.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choosing how to describe an estimate

> The kinds of answer you can give, and why the kind decides which shapes are allowed.

For each uncertain number the app asks **"How sure are you?"** You never have to pick a statistical distribution; the app chooses a sensible shape from your answer. You can change it later.

## The kinds of answer

| What you say | What the app does with it |
| - | - |
| "It is a known, fixed amount" (you must give a reason) | Uses that exact value |
| "Lowest possible, most likely, highest possible" | Treats the lowest and highest as hard limits nothing can go beyond |
| "Low, middle, high for the likely range" | Treats low and high as a 1 in 10 chance below or above. More extreme values are still possible |
| The same, for a percentage | Same, but kept strictly between 0% and 100% |
| "A few distinct outcomes" (pass or fail, low, medium or high tier) | Each outcome gets its own chance. The chances must add to 100% |
| Observed data (a pasted list) | Builds the range from your observations |
| A formula from the function library | See [Formulas](https://docs.meerietechnology.com/advanced/formulas.md) |
| "Not sure yet" | **Blocks the run.** An unknown never silently becomes zero |

## Hard limits versus a likely range

This is the most important choice, because it decides whether your numbers are walls or only a likely range.

* **Hard limits** (lowest, most likely, highest): only shapes that stop at those limits are allowed. See [Bounded shapes](https://docs.meerietechnology.com/estimate/bounded-shapes.md).
* **A likely range** (low, middle, high): only shapes with open-ended tails are allowed, so a surprise outside your range is still possible. See [Skewed and percentage shapes](https://docs.meerietechnology.com/estimate/skewed-shapes.md).

> [!WARNING]
>
> The app refuses to mix these up. Treating a likely range as hard limits would quietly rule out the surprises you said could happen.

## The read-back

Every estimate is read back to you in a sentence, for example "There is a 1 in 10 chance this is below 4 hours and a 1 in 10 chance it is above 12". Check it before you move on.

**Next:** [Bounded shapes](https://docs.meerietechnology.com/estimate/bounded-shapes.md)


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.