**Course Title:** Agile Methodologies: Principles and Practices **Section Title:** User Stories and Backlog Management **Topic:** Estimating user stories: Story points and planning poker **Introduction** In Agile development, estimating the effort required to complete a user story is crucial for effective planning and execution. This topic will cover two popular techniques for estimating user stories: Story points and planning poker. By the end of this topic, you will understand the concepts of story points and planning poker, and be able to apply them to your Agile projects. **Story Points** Story points are a unit of measure used to estimate the effort required to complete a user story. They are based on the relative complexity and effort required to complete the story, rather than the actual time needed to complete it. The story point values are abstract and relative, allowing the team to estimate the effort required for a story without being bound by specific time estimates. The most commonly used story point scales are: * Fibonacci sequence: 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 * T-shirt sizes: S, M, L, XL * Modified Fibonacci sequence: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 **Why Story Points?** Story points have several advantages: * They help to avoid the pitfalls of hour-based estimation * They are relative and abstract, making them less prone to bias * They promote team discussion and collaboration **Planning Poker** Planning poker is a technique used to estimate the effort required to complete a user story. It involves the team members estimating the story points individually, and then discussing their estimates as a team. This technique helps to ensure that everyone on the team has the same understanding of the story and its requirements. **How to Play Planning Poker** 1. Each team member is given a set of story point cards or stickers. 2. The product owner presents the user story to be estimated. 3. Each team member selects a story point value without revealing it to the others. 4. The team members reveal their estimates simultaneously, and discuss any discrepancies. 5. The team continues to discuss and refine their estimates until a consensus is reached. **Example** Suppose a team is estimating the effort required to complete a user story for a new login feature. The team members each select a story point value: * Developer A: 3 * Developer B: 5 * Developer C: 2 * Developer D: 3 The team reveals their estimates, and a discussion ensues: * Developer A: "I think this feature will be relatively simple, so I chose 3 story points." * Developer B: "I agree, but I think the authentication logic will be more complex, so I chose 5 story points." * Developer C: "I think we can reuse some existing code, so I chose 2 story points." * Developer D: "I think it's somewhere in between, so I chose 3 story points." The team continues to discuss and refine their estimates until a consensus is reached, say at 3 story points. **Best Practices for Planning Poker** * Use a story point scale that works for your team * Make sure each team member understands the story and its requirements * Encourage team members to explain their estimates * Aim for a consensus, rather than a majority vote * Review and adjust your estimates regularly **Conclusion** In this topic, we covered two popular techniques for estimating user stories: story points and planning poker. By using these techniques, you can create more accurate and reliable estimates for your Agile projects, and ensure that your team is working effectively together. **Additional Resources** * For more information on story points and planning poker, check out the Agile Methods page on the Scrum Alliance website: [www.scrumalliance.org](http://www.scrumalliance.org) * To learn more about estimating user stories, check out Mike Cohn's book "Agile Estimating and Planning": [www.amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com) **Next Topic: Overview of Kanban Principles and Practices** In the next topic, we will cover the basics of the Kanban methodology, including its principles, practices, and benefits. **Leave a Comment** What did you think of this topic? Do you have any questions or concerns? Please leave a comment below and we will be happy to help. Please provide feedback on this course material. You can ask questions and add any discussions related to this text in the comment section below this material.