Estimation+and+Story+Points

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Estimation

 * Helps make decisions
 * Priority/sequencing of work
 * Splitting/merging user stories
 * How much can we do?
 * Helps to build trust

Warning:

 * Not only law of diminishing returns
 * More might actually be less

Quick exercise

 * What do you think is the relationship between time spent estimating and accuracy?

In your groups…

 * How have you estimated work in the past?
 * What is the relationship between work load and deadlines?
 * Scope, Resources, Deadline, Quality…
 * Which of these do you explicitly decide upon
 * Which do you leave hanging?
 * Who chooses each of these? Customers, users, developers, ???

Class Exercise – Estimation Observations
Report back from your group meeting

Individual Exercise – Estimation
Note, this example comes from Cohn’s “User Stories Applied”

Individually…

 * From 1 to 10, estimate each based on average height at their shoulders:
 * Labrador Retriever
 * Vizsla
 * Terrier
 * Great Dane
 * Standard Poodle
 * French Bulldog
 * Dachshund
 * German Short-haired Pointer

In our groups of 4…

 * From 1 to 10, estimate each based on average height at their shoulders:
 * Labrador Retriever
 * Vizsla
 * Terrier
 * Great Dane
 * Standard Poodle
 * French Bulldog
 * Dachshund
 * German Short-haired Pointer


 * Be prepared to discuss the difference in the two experiences

Class Exercise – Compare Individual/Group
Discuss your differences between the individual exercise and the group exercise

Story points

 * Are relative
 * Are arbitrary units of measure
 * Each team defines how they see fit
 * Combine complexity, size, risk, etc.

Who?

 * The whole team
 * Users/customers provide input, answer questions
 * Developers make the call

NOTE!

 * Estimates are the exclusive purview of developers
 * No manager/product owner bullying.

Planning Poker

 * Someone reads user story
 * Product owner answers any questions
 * Everybody selects an estimate from a collection of cards
 * Everybody shows their estimate
 * If “wide” variation, group discussion (with time box)
 * Repeat until “near” convergence
 * To organize this,
 * Have decks of prepared cards (playing cards, 3x5 cards)
 * One deck per person estimating (developers)
 * Each deck has same set of numbers,
 * 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
 * 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 17, 27

Group Exercise – Estimates

 * In your groups…**
 * Remember to make your meeting work
 * Use planning poker on a few cards
 * Notes
 * Really, it is only developers who estimate
 * Product owners, users, managers do not estimate
 * Be prepared to discuss your answers
 * Ah-ha’s
 * Oh’s

Class Exercise – Estimates
What are the challenges at your organization to this style of estimation?