5 ms·

> Story points are chosen -specifically- to break that connection. And yet they are then used for measuring "velocity."

• lostcolony 5y ago
  Yep. Because, in aggregate, they will average out to something. A 5 point story may on average take 5 days. Some 5 point stories will take 2 days. Some will take 10. As our team's collective estimation changes, as the team comp changes, as the product changes, that 5 point story average might start taking 4 days, it might start taking 6 days. We can track that average (and, more importantly, the average points we burn down per sprint). Doing so serves multiple purposes; we can divide the amount of remaining work by that average and know whether, to the best of our knowledge, we will hit a certain date or not. We can also use changes to that average as a reflection point on what could have caused them, and let that affect our process (i.e., the new VP started scheduling a buncha status meetings, and oh look, our velocity dropped). But the point is at no point can that 5 point story actually get held up as being doable in 5 days, even if that's what it equates, on average, to. Because it's an average. Whereas if I told a business stakeholder "it'll take 5 days", you can bet they'll be at my desk on day 6 going "where's my feature?"