Story Point Estimation Guidlines

1. Contents
 Story Estimation Best Practices
• What is Story Estimation?
• What are Story Points?
• Why Use Story Points?
• Why Use Fibonacci Sequence for Estimation?
• Who Participates in Story Estimation?
• When Do We Estimate Stories?
• How Do We Estimate Stories?
• Why Do We Estimate Stories?
 Facilitation Guide
• Who Are The Key Players?
• Steps to Estimating a Story
 FAQ

2. Story Estimation Best Practices
 What is Story Estimation?
 What are Story Points?
 Why Use Story Points?
 Why Use Fibonacci Sequence for Estimation?
 Who Participates in Story Estimation?
 When Do We Estimate Stories
 How Do We Estimate Stories?
 Why Do We Estimate Stories?

3. Product Backlog
What is Story Estimation?
 Story estimation is the process of taking stories from the Product Backlog and assigning them ‘Story Points’
based on complexity relative to a ‘Baseline Story’
 The Baseline Story should be reviewed, understood by the team and sized prior to estimating any other
stories
 The end result is stories that are sized in points relative to each other and can be assigned to a Sprint
Backlog
Story 1
Points: ?
Baseline
Points: 3
VS.
Product Backlog
Story 1
Points: 5
Story 3
Points: 8
Story 2
Points: 3
Story 4
Points: 5
Story 1
Points: ?
Story 3
Points: ?
Story 2
Points: ?
Story 4
Points: ?
Un-estimated Stories Sized StoriesStory Comparison
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Estimation is the process of sizing stories by assigning them Story Points

4. What are Story Points?
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• Story Points Are:
• Arbitrary measure / relative scale used for estimating effort
to complete a user story
• It is easy to understand by everyone
• Easy method to estimating fast
• Take in multiple facets (Complexity, Unknowns, Effort) – CUE
• Allows for meaningful metrics and reporting
• Story Points Are Not:
• Directly correlated to development hours

5. Why Use Story Points?
 Story Points Are Relative
• Story that is assigned a 2 should be twice as much as a story
assigned as 1
• Studies show humans are better at relative estimates rather then
actuals; we can’t estimate to 2.68 or 3.20
 More accurate estimates
• Drastically reduce planning time
• More accurately predict release dates
• We can determine how fast the team builds software and how
long it will take to complete the work in our backlog
 Team Collaboration
• Team discusses work and collaborates on the estimations

6. Why Use Fibonacci Sequence for Estimation?
• Points are a relative indication of size. In other words,
• Why Fibonacci and not 1-10 or something else?
• Each number is the sum of the previous two. This builds a natural
distribution curve into the estimates.
• Is it easier to distinguish between a 6, 7 and 8 OR between a 3, 5, and 8?
Similar relative to each other Approximately twice
the size

7. Who Participates in Story Estimation?
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Business
SMEs
Legend
Does Not Estimate
Estimates
Tester
Scrum
Master*
The “Core Team”
Dev 1 Dev 2 Dev 3
Solution
Architect
Product
Owner
Tester Business
System
AnalystBusiness
System
Analyst
Release
Manager
Program
Manager
Business
Stakeholders
*The Scrum Master
facilitates but only
estimates only if he/she is
also part of the
development team (Tech
Lead, BSA etc.)
The Product Owner
helps facilitate but
does not estimate
The entire ‘Core Team’ participates in Estimation except for the Product Owner

8. When Do We Estimate Stories?
Initial Backlog Grooming:
 Start with initial Product Backlog
 Perform high-level estimation for all un-
estimated stories
 Team will have multiple Backlog Grooming
meetings during this cycle
 Amount and frequency of Backlog Grooming
meetings contingent on size of the Backlog and
progress made
Sprint 1 Planning
 Held on first day of Sprint 1
 Review only stories assigned to Sprint 1 Backlog
 Revisit story sizes and perform additional
estimation in more detail if necessary
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Sprint Zero Sprints 1-N
Backlog Grooming Meetings:
• Regularly held meetings during Sprints
• Usually one meeting per week; no more than
10% of total Sprint time
• Start with estimation of stories by priority
• Size all new stories that have not yet been
estimated
• Revisit any stories that have requirements
changes (e.g. change in story summary, scope,
acceptance criteria)
Sprint Planning Meetings:
• Held on first day of each Sprint (some teams
prefer to have this on the last day of the sprint)
• Review only stories assigned to upcoming
Sprint’s Backlog
• Revisit story sizes and perform additional
estimation if more detail is necessary
*Estimation preferably occurs during the grooming sessions so time during the planning sessions can be spent on
selecting which stories will be part of a sprint and start breaking those into tasks
Story Estimation occurs during Backlog Grooming and *Sprint Planning meetings both during Sprint
Zero and Sprints 1-N

9. How Do We Estimate Stories?
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Story Estimation consists of reviewing the Story, playing Online ‘Planning Poker’ to assign team-
agreed Story Points and updating the Story in the Product Backlog
 Stories are reviewed in the Jira Product Backlog; facilitated by Product Owner or
Proxy Product Owner (BSA)
 Product Owners should maintain a prioritized Product Backlog
 Ensure that development team fully understands story details prior to choosing a size
 Online Planning Poker method should be used. Sizes are in Story Points and should
include all aspects of “completing” the story (e.g. developing, testing,
documentation) by default Definition of Done
 Team Members with highest and lowest point estimates should share their reasoning
 Team should expect varying Story Point estimates in first round; complete 2-3 rounds
max to converge on a Team agreed-upon Story Points

10. Why Do We Estimate Stories?
 To Plan – When will something be done?
 To Schedule – What order should we do things in?
 To Hire – Do we need more people to do the work?
 To Price – How much will it cost?
 To Guide Investment – Is doing something worth it?
 To Reach Agreement – How much work effort do we,
as a team, think the story will take. (Think whole
team)
 To Be Sure We Understand the Story.
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11. Facilitation Guide
 Who Are the Key Players?
 Steps to Estimating a Story?

12. Who are the Key Players?
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Key Players Roles and Responsibilities
Product Owner
• Maintains a groomed and prioritized backlog on an on-going basis and prior to Backlog Grooming
meetings
• Attends Backlog Grooming meetings to provide context about stories and requirements to the
development team; does not participate in actual estimation of stories
Business System
Analyst
• Facilitates the team viewing the story in the Jira Product Backlog prior to estimation
• Assists the Product Owner in clarifying any details about the stories and requirements prior to story
estimation
• Participates in estimation
Scrum Master
• Facilitates using the Online Planning Poker tool to perform the actual estimation
• Works together with the PO/ BSA to ensure that meeting logistics are set-up prior to the meeting
• Facilitates team discussions after each estimation round; ensures that team members are sharing the
appropriate information and that the team comes to an agreement on story size
Development Team
• Developers
• Testers
• Architects
• Asks clarifying questions to the Product Owner and Business System Analyst when reviewing the story
prior to estimation
• Assists in defining the story wording and acceptance criteria
• Submits individual estimations for stories that are uninfluenced and unbiased using the Planning Poker
Online Tool
• Drives the discussion following each round of estimation
• Comes to an agreement on story size

13. Steps to Estimating a Story
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• Story Estimation consists of three (3) steps:
1. Reviewing the Story
2. Playing online ‘Planning Poker’ to assign team-agreed
Story Points since not all team members will be co-
located
3. Updating the Story in the Product Backlog

14. Step 1: Team Reviews Story
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 View story in Jira Product Backlog
 PO/BSA shares story with the team
 Ensure there is enough detail to estimate
 Team members ask clarifying questions and make
updates to story details in real-time (acceptance
criteria, story wording)

15. Step 2: Online Planning Poker
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http://www.planningpoker.com
2.1 – Scrum Master
creates an account

16. Step 2: Online Planning Poker
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2.1 – Scrum Master
creates a New Game
http://www.planningpoker.com

17. Step 2: Online Planning Poker
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http://planningpoker.com//
2.2 – Scrum Master
sends link to Game to
Team Members
Team can view
Participant List HERE

18. Step 2: Online Planning Poker
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2.3 – Scrum Master manually enters
Story to be estimated in free-form field
• Enter Story Summary OR Story ID #
http://www.planningpoker.com

19. Step 2: Online Planning Poker
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http://planningpoker.com//
2.4 – Team Members choose individual Story Point estimates
• Sizes are hidden until all team members have chosen
• Secrecy eliminates bias and influence from other team members
• Stories should be estimated relative to Baseline Story size

20. Step 2: Online Planning Poker
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http://planningpoker.com//
2.5 –Story Point estimates are revealed when all team
members have submitted their individual estimates
• Team should expect varying results after Round 1
2.6 –Team discusses results of Planning Poker round
• Discussion facilitated by Scrum Master
• Team Members with highest and lowest
estimates explain their reasoning
• Team takes into consideration all aspects of
‘completing’ the story during discussion (e.g.
developing, testing, documentation etc.)

21. Step 2: Online Planning Poker
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2.7 – If Round 1 yielded varying Story Point estimates,
team estimates again by clicking ‘Play again’
• Team should play 2-3 rounds maximum as Story
Point estimates converge to a unanimous size
• If estimates vary after Round 3, team engages in a
group discussion until a team-agreed size is reached
2.8 – When final Story Point size is
agreed upon, the Scrum Master
enters the size into the Estimation
box and clicks ‘Accept’. Team moves
onto the next story.
http://www.planningpoker.com

22. Step 3: Update Story in the Product
Backlog
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 PO/BSA updates story in Product Backlog with
agreed-upon Story Point size in real-time
 Next Story to estimate is chosen based on priority of
Product Backlog

23. FAQ

24. Frequently Asked Questions
 Who participates in story estimation?
• The entire ‘Core Team’ participates in the story estimation process although the
Product Owner does not estimate. The Product Owner, Business System Analyst, and
Scrum Master facilitate reviewing the Story’s details and Planning Poker. The
development team (developers, testers, architects) provide sizes for estimation. If the
Scrum Master is also part of the development team, then he/she estimates as well; if
not, then he/she does not estimate.
 What is the “scope” to be considered by those that are participating in the
planning poker? Is this the story itself or their part of the tasks to complete a
story?
• Team Members should estimate the entire story. Sizes are in Story Points and should
include all aspects of “completing” the story (e.g. developing, testing, documentation) by
default Definition of Done
• The Story should be estimated relative to the Baseline Story
 Who is responsible for facilitating Planning Poker?
• The Scrum Master should facilitate all aspects of Planning Poker including creating an
account, creating a Game, providing the team with the Game Link, beginning multiple
rounds of estimation and accepting an estimated size
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