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Team Name Estimation Techniques
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Team name Estimation Techniques
Why ? My teams all use planning poker to estimate effort, however I’ve noticed several things starting to happen that are fairly common in teams using this estimation technique:
People get: - Very caught up in the actual number, forgetting that it’s just an estimate
and wrong anyway. - Very emotionally invested in being “right”, they start defending their
estimates, or giving in to the majority without discussion. - There is confusion between team members about the proper way to
estimate effort.
When the real deal when estimating effort is to get a Shared Understanding and Consensus,
it is just a way to plan and know where we are against the plan.
80/20 Rule
L.E.B.E Rule
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Team name Estimation Techniques
So, what’s the goal ? The real deal when estimating effort is
to get a Shared Understanding and Consensus, it is just a way to plan and know where we are against the plan.
80/20 Rule
L.E.B.E Rule
Getting about 80% right estimates with 20% of the effort
Less Effort Better Estimates
Relative estimate vs. absolute
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Team name Estimation Techniques
The Workshop
Content
2 3
Planning Poker Relative Estimation
1
4 Absolute Estimates
Affinity estimation
Rules - 4 Exercises.
- 10 Minutes duration per exercise.
- Team had to estimate items using a diff. technique.
- Each team got a set of cards with items written on
them.
- Each team got the same items so we could compare between teams at the end.
- When each team finished estimating, the facilitator wrote results per team in a flip chart/white board, and start the discussion about the technique.
- The facilitator shared correct answers once each team has completed each exercise.
- A general discussion is hold about all techniques and the team decides where we go from here
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Exercise 1: Absolute Estimates
Description The items to be estimated are dogs. Instructions - Each team have to estimate the weight of each dog(item) in kilograms - Each team discuss about the item to get shared understanding - After consensus, the team should decide what estimate would be assigned to each
dog (item)
Special note - To be able to compare each estimation technique, all teams should try their best to get results as soon as they can.
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Exercise 1: Absolute Estimates Results
Item Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5 Correct Answer
Chihuahua 3
Great Dane 90
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
17
Appalachian Mountain Dog
0
Border Collie 34
American Cocker Spaniel
13
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Exercise 2: Planning Poker Estimates
Description The items to be estimated are country area. Remember that this technique is used for relative estimation Instructions - Use Spain as your reference point (Value assigned to Spain Area is 3) - Each team have to estimate the area of each country(item) - Each team discuss about the item to get shared understanding, then each person chooses a card from their
set that they think is the closes fit. - Everyone displays their cards at the same time (avoid influencing other between each other). - People discuss the outliers, usually the highest and lowest numbers to see of the people who selected them,
had a different understanding to everyone else. - After discussion, people re-vote taking in consideration anything uncovered in the discussion. - Once everyone converges on a number that is selected as the estimate. - If convergence is not reached by the third vote, then the team would take the highest number or majority
number.
Special note - To be able to compare each estimation technique, all teams should try their best to get results as
soon as they can.
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Exercise 2: Planning Poker Results
Item Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5 Correct Answer
Spain 3 3 3 3 3 3
China 40
Luxembourg 0
Denmark 1
South Africa 8
Belize 1
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Exercise 3: Affinity Estimation
Description The items to be estimated are cars volume. Remember that this technique is used for relative estimation Instructions - Lay out one set of planning poker cards so that you have all the numbers. - Agree on a reference story, and place it next to the reference point. In this case put the card “Convertible”
next to the Planning poker card identified with the number “3”. - Give the stack of story cards to the first person in the team. - Each person has a turn where you can either:
- take a new car from the stack of story cards and place it where you think it fits, or - Move a card already on the table to a new spot if you don’t agree with it. - Note: You must always move a card if you don’t agree with the estimate rather than playing a new one - Note2: If you play a new card it means you are happy with every card on the table.
- After your turn you hand the cards to the next person. - If you do a full circuit of the team and one card has been moved each time, then you discuss it before
continuing. - Note: People could explain why they are placing a card at a certain number, but remember, open
discussion just when a card was moved.
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Exercise 3: Affinity Estimation Results
Item Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5 Correct Answer
Motorbike
Startship enterprize
SUV
Minivan
Convertible 3 3 3 3 3 3
Bus
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Exercise 4: Relative Estimation
Description The items to be estimated are Animal weight. Remember that this technique is used for relative estimation Instructions - Take all story cards and arrange them on the table in ascending size (ignore the reference point for now) - Decide what is bigger and what’s the same size (It can be done all team members together) - Once you the team has arranged all cards, only then assign numbers, starting with the reference point (the
“impala” in this case)
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Exercise 4: Relative estimation Results
Item Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5 Correct Answer
Elephant
Giraffe
Elephant shrew
crocodile
snake
impala 3 3 3 3 3 3
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Conclusions
What did we learn - Ask the teams to take a look at all results and see what they have noticed. - Ask them about the importance of having the same reference point (having 5 teams
working together on a single backlog) - Ask the team if they would change anything about the way that they estimate based
on what we learn. - Try to get an answer as action item to be implemented during the next sprint Materials required • Cards with the items on them for each team • Planning poker cards for each person • A flipchart and marker to write up the results of each round for people to see • A stopwatch or cellphone with timing functionality • Some team members keen to learn about estimation, I did the workshop with 5 groups of 3-4 people. • An hour time box is sufficient if your team are used to estimating. Maybe more if your teams are new to it
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Be truthful Be open
“As with any discipline, nothing beats practice coupled with an ongoing desire to learn.”
Enjoy yourself
Be enthusiastic
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Q&A
Muchas gracias
Merci beaucoup
Thank you
Questions & Suggestions
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