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11. Story Points

11. Story Points

What are story points?

Story points are a technique used by some agile teams to estimate the costs of developing software features or fixing bugs.

What does ChatGPT think?

(May 2023)Hey ChatGPT: When should software developers use story points, and when should they be avoided?

Story points are a common method used by software development teams to estimate the effort required to complete a specific task or feature. While they can be helpful in many situations, there are also times when they should be avoided. Here are some examples:

When to use story points:

  1. When estimating tasks: Story points can be helpful when estimating the effort required to complete a specific task or feature. This can be particularly useful when estimating tasks for a sprint or when creating a backlog of tasks.
  2. When prioritizing tasks: Story points can also be helpful when prioritizing tasks. By understanding the effort required for each task, teams can prioritize tasks based on their impact and effort, rather than just their importance.
  3. When tracking progress: Story points can be helpful for tracking progress. By comparing the estimated story points for a task or feature to the actual story points, teams can identify areas where their estimates were off and make improvements to their estimation process.

When to avoid story points:

  1. When working on small tasks: Story points are most useful for larger tasks that require more effort. For small tasks, it may be more efficient to estimate the time required to complete the task rather than assigning story points.
  2. When working on highly technical tasks: Story points may not be as effective for highly technical tasks that require specialized knowledge. In these cases, it may be more effective to estimate the time required based on the expertise of the team members who will be working on the task.
  3. When working with a new team: Story points rely on the collective knowledge and experience of the team. If the team is new or inexperienced, it may be difficult to accurately estimate story points. In these cases, it may be more effective to use other methods of estimation, such as time-based estimates.

Overall, story points can be a useful tool for software developers when used in the right context. Teams should consider the size and complexity of the task, as well as the expertise of the team, when deciding whether to use story points or another method of estimation.