Agile Estimating
& Planning
Kane Mar
Certified Scrum Coach and
Trainer.
http://KaneMar.com
http://Scrumology.com.au

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Agenda
About me.
Traditional Estimating vs Agile Estimating
Relative Estimates
Context is Important
Deriving Project Duration

About Me.

Tradition Estimating vs
Agile Estimating
KLoC Ideal Days
Function Story
Points Points

Relative Estimates
Agile estimates are
estimates made on a
relative scale
Here’s an example:
Smarties in a glass

Relative Estimates
Points are abstract representations of size,
which includes complexity, effort etc.
Scales currently used:
Fibonacci Scale: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 ...
Linear Scales: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
T-shirt sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL

Relatives Estimates
Points do not have units
Points are not related (easily) to hours or
days
What use are relative estimates if we don’t
have a time or duration associated with
them?
How can we use an abstract concept to
derive durations and timeframes?

Exercise: Relative
Estimates
We use an abstract concept to enable
transactions for goods and services every
single day.
We define the value of a dollar (“fiat
money”) by how much “stuff” we can buy
with it

Exercise: Relative
Estimates
1 litre of milk:

Exercise: Relative
Estimates
A loaf of bread:

Exercise: Relative
Estimates
A dozen eggs:

Exercise: Relative
Estimates
A desert:

Exercise: Relative
Estimates
This is a Runeberg
Tart. It’s named after
the Finnish national
poet Johan Ludvig
Runeberg (1804 -
1877) who, according
to the legend,
enjoyed the tart with
punch

Context is important
Context is important when estimating with
relative sizing
The relevance of a Point is very, very local
Comparing points between teams has very
little meaning (although it is possible with
additional effort)

Relative Estimates
Estimating with Points is fast
Points can be easy to explain and
communicated
They allow us to deal with ambiguity
The whole team is involved with estimation

Project duration from
Points
Iteration 1 Iteration 3
10 Pts 9 Pts
Iteration 2
11 Pts 30 Pts

References
“Agile Estimating and
Planning”, Mike Cohn
“User Stories
Applied”, Mike Cohn

References
“Agile Software Development with Scrum,”
Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle, 2001
“Agile Project Management with Scrum”, Ken
Schwaber
“Scrum and the Enterprise”, Ken Schwaber
“Scrum in 5 minutes”, Softhouse Nordic AB
http://www.softhouse.se/Uploades/Scrum_eng_webb.pdf

Credits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rugby_pioneers/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/lfl/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66164549@N00/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/rugby_pioneers/
http://www.flicker.com/photos/vernhart/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierravalleygirl/

Credits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rugby_pioneers/ http://www.ScrumWorksPro.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbh/
http://www.ScrumWorksPro.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattimattila/

This Presentation
http://KaneMar.com/downloads
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attribution information is retained.