Story Estimation
Story estimation in Jira is an important aspect of Agile software development that helps teams determine the sort and complexity of user stories.
Story Points
Use Relative Sizing
Relative Estimation
Relative estimation is the process of estimating task completion, not by units of time or no days, but rather by comparing with other tasks in teerms of :
- Complexity
- Risk
- Implementation
- Deployment
- Interdependencies
Each Task is estimated by all the members in the team.
Task Management
Task management in Jira involves breaking stories into smaller tasks, estimating their size, and implementing timeboxes to manage completion within specified time frames.
Break Down Stories
Large and complex stories are harder to estimate accurately. It is often beneficial to break down such stories into smaller, more manageable pieces. Smaller stories are easier to estimate and provide better visibility into the progress of the project. Jira's Agile boards allow for breaking down stories into sub-tasks for better tracking.
T-Shirts Sizes
T-Shirt sizing is a simple and intuitive estimation technique. User stories are assigned sizes based on t-shirt sizes such as XS, S, M, L, and XL. The sizes represent the relative effort or complexity of the stories.
Timeboxing
To prevent excessive time spent on estimation, use timeboxing techniques. Set a predefined time limit for estimation discussions and encourage the team to focus on reaching a consensus within that timeframe.
Time Estimates
Time estimation in Jira can be approached in different ways, depending on the needs and preferences of your team.
Original Time Estimate (OTE)
Jira provides a field called "Original Time Estimate" to capture the estimated time required to complete a task or user story. Team members estimate the effort in hours or days and input their estimates in this field. Jira uses this estimate to calculate the remaining time and progress of the task
Time-Based Tracking
Jira offers time tracking features that allow team members to log the actual time spent on a task or user story. This can be done using the "Time Spent" field, where team members enter the time they have worked on a task. Jira then calculates the total time spent, remaining time, and progress. This approach provides real-time visibility into how much time has been invested in each task.
