Estimation (Story Sizing)

“How long will that take?”

It seems like such a simple question, yet it is one of the hardest for software developers to accurately answer. Inconveniently, it is also one of the most important. How can a business decide if it should invest in a development project, if it doesn’t have a meaningful estimate on how much the project will cost, and how long it will take to complete?

This module combines a bit of agile theory, a good dose of lessons learned through hard experience, and interactive activities so that participants can learn by doing. We examine the pros and cons of various estimation techniques, the vital concept of velocity, and the interplay between estimates, iterations, and release planning. All of this comes together to allow a software team to provide the business with useful predictions about the schedule.

The Team Estimation Game

The Team Estimation Game, created by Steve Bockman, helps teams that are new to estimating quickly grasp the concept of relative sizing. Here’s how Alan Shalloway et al described the game when they included it in their book, Lean Agile Software Development:Achieving Enterprise Agility:

“It works because people find it easier to compare the complexity of one feature or story with another even if they do not yet know all aspects of that story. This game is fast, easy, and fun. It helps people avoid getting bogged down in too many details, which is always a risk during estimation exercises.”