Estimating Tasks with Story Points

Types of Estimations

• Relative Estimation: Judging complexity relative to other tasks
• Absolute Estimation: Judging complexity in fixed units (e.g., time)

Example

• Comparing two dogs by weight is easier relatively than in absolute pounds

Story Points

• Measure the effort required for a task
• **Advantages Over Absolute Estimation: **
  • Reduces emotional attachment
  • Prevents blame when tasks take longer than expected

Factors Influencing Story Points

1. Amount of Work: More work, more story points
   • Example: Folding 10 papers vs. 100 papers
2. **Risk and Uncertainty: **
   • If the task is unclear, higher story points
   • If old code with no tests involved, higher story points
3. Complexity: More complex tasks get more story points
   • Example: Folding 100 papers into airplanes

Scales for Story Points

• Fibonacci Sequence: Commonly used scale
• T-Shirt Sizing: Alternative measure

Product Backlog Refinement

• Purpose: Evaluate and estimate product backlog items
• Participants: Entire team (developers, designers, testers)
• Role of Product Owner: Explains backlog items but doesn’t estimate

Establishing Baseline Stories

• Choose 1-2 baseline stories as reference points
• Compare other user stories to these baselines
• Assign story points based on relative effort

Estimation Process

1. Define baseline stories and assign story points (using Fibonacci sequence)
2. Compare each user story to baseline:
   • More effort than baseline? -> More story points
   • Less effort than baseline? -> Fewer story points
3. Involve all team members for diverse perspectives

Conclusion

• Summary: Relative estimation helps avoid emotional attachment and blame-game
• Importance: Ensures diverse team input for accurate estimations

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