100 Days of Kanban
Review of From Story Points to Slam Dunks
Matthew Croker's insights in "From Story Points to Slam Dunks — Planning for Success" are enlightening. His approach to agile planning, focusing on confidence rather than mere numbers, offers practical advice that teams can instantly apply.
These are my 3 key takeaways:
1. ESTABLISH CLEAR ESTIMATE EXPECTATIONS: Estimates should primarily serve as a communication tool rather than a pursuit of accuracy. The primary goal of estimation in project management, especially within Agile methodologies, is to enhance confidence in delivery timelines rather than exact time predictions. This perspective helps manage team and stakeholder expectations more effectively, focusing discussions on delivery confidence rather than numerical precision.
2. ADOPT RELATIVE ESTIMATION TECHNIQUES: Replace absolute time-based estimates with relative estimation methods, like Story Points or the Commitment-Driven Iteration Planning method. This approach shifts focus from quantifying work in days or hours to assessing the complexity or confidence in completing tasks within a given iteration. Such techniques encourage team members to consider the size and scope of work relative to other tasks, promoting a more collaborative and less stressful estimating environment.
3. UTILIZE CONFIDENCE-BASED CATEGORIES IN ESTIMATION: Integrate confidence categories such as "Slam Dunk" (100% certainty), "Fairly Certain" (~85% certainty), "Fifty-Fifty" (~50% certainty), and "Long Shot" (~20% certainty) into the planning process. These categories help clarify the team's confidence level in completing tasks, prompting necessary discussions about dependencies, understanding of the task, and any potential impacts from ongoing work. This method also assists in identifying and addressing any issues or uncertainties that might affect task completion, enhancing overall project transparency and predictability.
