Estimation & Story Points

Estimation in Agile helps teams forecast effort or complexity for backlog items, often using Story Points as a relative measure.

What are Story Points?

• A unitless measure representing effort, complexity, and risk
• Relative rather than absolute, allowing teams to compare tasks

Why Use Story Points?

• Avoids the pitfalls of time-based estimates
• Encourages team discussion and consensus
• Helps measure velocity and plan future Sprints

Common Techniques

• Planning Poker: Team members assign story points simultaneously and discuss discrepancies
• T-shirt Sizing: Categorize tasks as XS, S, M, L, XL to simplify estimation

Best Practices

• Keep estimates relative within the team context
• Re-estimate when more information becomes available
• Use velocity (average story points completed per Sprint) to improve forecasting