Estimating Agile Tasks
In Scrum, a list of user stories is produced and put together to form a product backlog, and each of these user stories will need to be estimated to work out how many of these stories can be worked on during a given iteration. One of the responsibilities of the Scrum Master is to act as the facilitator in the estimation of the size of each piece of work.
The Use of Story Points
Story point estimation is different from the traditional method of sizing a piece of work based on the number of hours it will take. Instead, the estimate is derived from the complexity of the functionality being produced, and the figure assigned is based on the relative size and difficulty when compared to other user stories. The reason for this is that there are many variables that could have an impact on the amount of time that a piece of work takes to complete, such as the level of experience of the developer.
The How and Why of Story Points
Story points are important because they give a clearer picture of the size and complexity of a piece of work than the estimation of time required that is used in a waterfall life-cycle. They help the Scrum Master to work out the velocity (the number of story points that can be delivered in a single iteration) of the team. Using story points gives the Scrum Master a tangible representation of what they are dealing with. It also allows them to gauge how things are progressing when updates are given by each team member during the daily stand-up, and to keep a close eye on any of the more complex stories in order to resolve any issues early on.
Recommended Further Reading
The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course: