Topic Teasers Vol. 46: Sizing User Stories

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  Estimating  

My colleagues complain that their Product Owner won’t help with the backlog. We have the opposite problem, in that the Product Owner wants to write the user stories herself. This gives us work directives that are too large and don’t always fit in with what it is possible for the team to create within the framework of a single iteration, but I don’t know how to suggest a better plan. How can I describe a workable process?

A. Suggest to your team that they accept that the backlog is the responsibility of the Product Owner and the ScrumMaster. They should work to deliver the user stories they are assigned.

B.  Suggest that the use of a modified Fibonacci sequence will help estimate story sizes, and then add story points down the backlog until the total point limit for the sprint is reached.

C. Suggest that your team switch back to a more traditional project process approach when working with this Product Owner, but use the agile/adaptive approach when working with less controlling management people.

D. Suggest a collective approach to grooming stories chosen for each iteration. Choose one main story and fill with smaller, related supporting ones until the volume for the sprint is reached.

(scroll down for answer...)

Answer: D. Suggest a collective approach…

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