How to setup assessment in storypoints in SCRUM
- Sergei Rakov
- 2 февр. 2023 г.
- 2 мин. чтения
Обновлено: 18 февр. 2023 г.
In the previous post, I talked about the most challenging thing in Scrum - the correct estimation of tasks in story points. And today, I will tell you how to start making such an assessment.
First, story points are a non-linear series of numbers 1,2,3,5,5,8,13,21 - the Fibonacci series. It's done on purpose because it is easier for our brains to work with non-linear values and compare them. It's easier to say that something is twice bigger than to estimate the volume of two objects independently in absolute terms and then compare these values.
So, story points are non-linear - we figured that out. We also figured out that it determines the complexity rather than the time. But how do you measure complexity? What units of measurement should we use? Story point is a conventional unit. It is just a number that determines the task's difficulty, specifically for your team and project. The other team will have its difficulty criteria.
Let's now move on to the initial difficulty estimate. As a result, you need to create a matrix with specific examples of tasks from the past for each story point value. To make it, first of all, take 20-30 tasks of already completed tasks and list them. This list must include different tasks -- from easiest to most complicated with high uncertainty. Next, compare each task and specify story points depending on the complexity. Make this assessment with the whole team - this is when you calibrate and develop an approach to assessing future tasks.
After evaluating all the tasks, make a table in which, for each value of the story point, you will have a list of completed tasks that you will need to focus on when assessing the complexity of future tasks. It is best to do this in a common space so the whole team can access it.
When you evaluate the complexity of new tasks, team members will need to find a similar task from the past and assign it the same value in story points, and that's it. Enjoy!