Comments on: Value Points – Estimating the relative value of a User Story http://agile101.net/2009/07/22/value-points-estimating-the-relative-value-of-a-user-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=value-points-estimating-the-relative-value-of-a-user-story Agile Project Management, Programme Management and Digital Publishing Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:14:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: taraleewhitaker http://agile101.net/2009/07/22/value-points-estimating-the-relative-value-of-a-user-story/comment-page-1/#comment-1172 taraleewhitaker Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:48:30 +0000 http://agile101.net/?p=322#comment-1172 Hi Raj, The number of story points that a team can complete (on average) in one sprint is known as their 'velocity'. Before you start estimating stories, make sure that everyone agrees on what a 1 point, 3, point, 5 point (etc) story 'looks' like. Some teams will bring these examples along to their planning poker workshops as a reminder until they get used to their scale. So, for example, all 3 point user stories should on average take the same amount of effort to deliver. With that in mind, assuming each sprint has the same amount of effort available (same number of people in the office, with the same skillset (ideally the same people!), for the same number of days) then the same number of points will generally be delivered in the pre-agreed number of days. It usually takes a few sprints before a team can get a sense of their true velocity. This velocity then acts as a starting point for negotiation - more or fewer points may actually be committed to depending on other influencing factors (e.g. team members on holiday etc.) Make sense? Tara Hi Raj,

The number of story points that a team can complete (on average) in one sprint is known as their ‘velocity’.

Before you start estimating stories, make sure that everyone agrees on what a 1 point, 3, point, 5 point (etc) story ‘looks’ like. Some teams will bring these examples along to their planning poker workshops as a reminder until they get used to their scale.

So, for example, all 3 point user stories should on average take the same amount of effort to deliver. With that in mind, assuming each sprint has the same amount of effort available (same number of people in the office, with the same skillset (ideally the same people!), for the same number of days) then the same number of points will generally be delivered in the pre-agreed number of days.

It usually takes a few sprints before a team can get a sense of their true velocity. This velocity then acts as a starting point for negotiation – more or fewer points may actually be committed to depending on other influencing factors (e.g. team members on holiday etc.)

Make sense?

Tara

]]> By: Raj http://agile101.net/2009/07/22/value-points-estimating-the-relative-value-of-a-user-story/comment-page-1/#comment-1171 Raj Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:47:33 +0000 http://agile101.net/?p=322#comment-1171 Hi Tara, There is one question which bother me a lot and that is in Agile Scrum we have fix time for sprint e.g. say 20 working days;we have to complete the work or estimated user stroy points in this time frame. How this can be achive without knowing how much user points can be completed in the specified days? This in turn link days with user stroy point!!! Please suggest me on this. Thanks Hi Tara,
There is one question which bother me a lot and that is in Agile Scrum we have fix time for sprint e.g. say 20 working days;we have to complete the work or estimated user stroy points in this time frame. How this can be achive without knowing how much user points can be completed in the specified days? This in turn link days with user stroy point!!!

Please suggest me on this.

Thanks

]]> By: taraleewhitaker http://agile101.net/2009/07/22/value-points-estimating-the-relative-value-of-a-user-story/comment-page-1/#comment-210 taraleewhitaker Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:40:13 +0000 http://agile101.net/?p=322#comment-210 Hi All, I've just finished writing about <a href="http://agile101.net/2009/07/22/value-points-estimating-the-relative-value-of-a-user-story/" rel="nofollow">Agile Estimation and the Cone of Uncertainty</a> - this answers most of the questions above. Tara Hi All,

I’ve just finished writing about Agile Estimation and the Cone of Uncertainty – this answers most of the questions above.

Tara

]]> By: taraleewhitaker http://agile101.net/2009/07/22/value-points-estimating-the-relative-value-of-a-user-story/comment-page-1/#comment-120 taraleewhitaker Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:23:30 +0000 http://agile101.net/?p=322#comment-120 Hi Sam, Great questions! I'm actually in the process of writing a post about the Agile Estimation Workflow. Go ahead and subscribe to my RSS feed to be notified when I post it. I'm hoping to do it this week and I'll be sure to answer your questions - Keep them coming! :) Thanks, Tara Hi Sam,

Great questions!

I’m actually in the process of writing a post about the Agile Estimation Workflow. Go ahead and subscribe to my RSS feed to be notified when I post it. I’m hoping to do it this week and I’ll be sure to answer your questions – Keep them coming! :)

Thanks,
Tara

]]> By: Sam http://agile101.net/2009/07/22/value-points-estimating-the-relative-value-of-a-user-story/comment-page-1/#comment-119 Sam Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:23:22 +0000 http://agile101.net/?p=322#comment-119 Hi Tara, I'm fairly new to Agile, saw your blog with lots of very interesting articles and thought you might be able to help me. I'm struggling a little bit with one aspect of Scrum: the initial estimates. Here are my questions.. 1- Who makes those initial estimates? Product owner + team together? 2- In which unit do they make those initial estimates (points, hours ..)? The reason why I'm asking is because I understand that user stories are counted in points whereas tasks that derive from user stories are counted in hours or days. 3- When exactly to they produce those estimates? Before the 1st sprint? If this is the case, based on your experience, how does the team + product owner react when they have to re-estimate again the top priority items of the first sprint considering that they might have done this for the full product backlog the previous day before? Don't they feel like it's a waste of time to spend so much time on estimation? Thanks. Sam Hi Tara,
I’m fairly new to Agile, saw your blog with lots of very interesting articles and thought you might be able to help me. I’m struggling a little bit with one aspect of Scrum: the initial estimates. Here are my questions..

1- Who makes those initial estimates? Product owner + team together?

2- In which unit do they make those initial estimates (points, hours ..)? The reason why I’m asking is because I understand that user stories are counted in points whereas tasks that derive from user stories are counted in hours or days.

3- When exactly to they produce those estimates? Before the 1st sprint?
If this is the case, based on your experience, how does the team + product owner react when they have to re-estimate again the top priority items of the first sprint considering that they might have done this for the full product backlog the previous day before? Don’t they feel like it’s a waste of time to spend so much time on estimation?

Thanks.
Sam

]]>