Story points, a widely used method in Agile for estimating effort, are criticized for being inconsistent, confusing, and counterproductive. The post explains why story points fail, citing variability among teams, misuse in comparing team velocities, and the flawed conversion of points to time. Instead, the post advocates for managing queues by focusing on task breakdowns, eliminating uncertainties, and tracking historical progress. This method aims to provide more reliable estimates and improve project flow and decision-making.
Table of contents
The TLDR Version...What is a Story Point?Built in VariabilityKnown Problems, Gleefully IgnoredPrioritizing with Return on Investment (ROI)Outputs of ProcessesWhat if we substitute something else for Story Points?There is a Better WaySolving the ConundrumA List of Tasks is a QueueQueues are Leading IndicatorsOur Conundrum2 Comments
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