Relative Estimation Methods:
1. T-Shirt Sizes: Here, estimation is made in terms of t-shirt size (xs, s, m, l,xl) where xs could mean quick fix , large could mean an average amount of time and so on.
2. Story Points: here, Fibonacci numbers are used (1,2,3,5,8,13,21…)
In both methods, an anchor item is used from backlog around which estimation is made.
For eg. if an item from backlog is assigned 2 story points, then a relatively more complex item may be assigned 8 points and so on.
Burn Down Chart: it is a representation which helps the scrum master keep tab on progress of the team. It shows the number of story points completed by the team in a sprint on any given day, against the expected number of story points to be completed.
This helps scrum master and the team to predict any lags, and cover them up before the completion of the sprint.
Sprint Velocity: it is the average number of story points a team burns down in a given sprint.
The main advantage of sprint velocity is that it helps in predicting how long it would take to complete the product or a an upcoming sprint.
Challenges with Agile :
1. Missing delivery dates, team burned out etc. To mitigate this, use sprint retrospective to figure out the issues. Also, keep more demos of the product which helps team understand the product better and contribute more. Too many user stories should be avoided in a single sprint.
2. Business collaboration issues, team feeling overwhelmed by the frequency and number of change requests from the business team. This issue can be lessened if frequent demos with business are conducted from the beginning. Also, an entire sprint could be planned for design solution only that would include business and development team members. No changes should be added during a particular sprint, as it derails the progress.
3. Team dynamics, grumpy team members, excessive or less conflicts. All these have to be taken care of to smoothen the team collaboration. The team and scrum master could have quick and frequent discussions to clear team issues.
Thank you!
Pooja's Tech Central 