Agile Estimation and Sizing Flashcards
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Which estimation technique uses a modified Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20...) to size user stories?
Answer: Planning Poker
Planning Poker uses a modified Fibonacci sequence on cards so that larger numbers reflect greater uncertainty in large estimates.
In agile estimation, what does a 'story point' primarily represent?
Answer: Relative effort, complexity, and uncertainty
Story points are a relative measure of effort, complexity, and risk rather than an absolute time unit, allowing teams to estimate without time-boxing individuals.
What is the primary benefit of using relative estimation over time-based estimation in agile?
Answer: It reduces anchoring bias and leverages team consensus
Relative estimation reduces individual anchoring bias because team members compare stories to each other rather than estimating in hours, and consensus is reached collaboratively.
A team uses a 'reference story' when doing story point estimation. What is the purpose of the reference story?
Answer: To serve as a calibration baseline for sizing other stories
A reference story is a previously completed story the team agrees represents a known size, used as an anchor to calibrate estimates for new stories.
Which of the following best describes 'velocity' in an agile context?
Answer: The average story points completed per iteration
Velocity is the average number of story points a team completes per sprint, calculated over several sprints to enable reliable release forecasting.
When a team discovers during sprint planning that a user story is too large to complete in one iteration, what is the recommended agile approach?
Answer: Split it into smaller stories that each deliver value
Stories too large for a single iteration (often called 'epics') should be split into smaller, independently deliverable stories that can each be completed within a sprint.
In the Bucket System estimation technique, items are placed into buckets labeled 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, and 100. What makes this technique faster than Planning Poker for large backlogs?
Answer: Items are placed silently without discussion until outliers emerge
The Bucket System speeds up large-backlog estimation by having participants silently place items into buckets and only discussing items where there is significant disagreement.