What is the Magic Estimation In Story Points template?
Estimate a large number of work items gathered in the backlog with the help of story points in a relatively short time. Run efficient estimating sessions with your team and maintain the balance between the estimation process and accuracy. Get a clear overview of the complexity of the backlog entries and decide which need to be broken down into smaller tasks to be delivered in the upcoming sprint.
Run the sessions in silence to not distract the team members during the estimation process and leave their voting choices unbiased. Invite participants to discussions after all estimates have been assigned and ask them to explain their reasoning. Re-run the session to reach the final consensus for all issues in question.
What are the benefits of the Magic Estimation In Story Points template?
Thanks to the Magic Estimation In Story Points template, you can:
- Estimate the entire backlog of issues or user stories, assigning story points in a reasonably short amount of time.
- Determine a rough estimate and dependencies between individual product backlog items.
- Vote unbiasedly on work items by giving estimates in complete silence.
- Arrange stories horizontally or vertically on a virtual board dividing them into complex or simple issues.
- Compare and group items with similar difficulty or effort.
How to use the Magic Estimation In Story Points template in a few steps?
- Open the Magic Estimation In Story Points template on a new board or add it to an already existing one.
- Invite your team to the whiteboard by sending an email invitation or sharing the board URL.
- Join the audio and video chat with your teammates to see their faces and talk to each other. Add camera streams to the board or, alternatively, show your video next to your cursor. You can find these settings in Call Options.
- Define the list of all team members participating in the magic estimation session. It will define the order in which they will estimate the tasks.
- Describe the estimation value and its components. Will it be a development effort, value for the users, cost, or anything else? Write down your estimates and descriptions on sticky notes.
- Import Jira issues to the Pool of Issues section using the import zone feature. Define the JQL filters and refresh the zone. Respectively, add update zones to other columns, set the filters, and automatically update Jira issues once they’re dropped into the chosen column.
- Ask the first team member to choose one Jira issue and drag and drop it into the appropriate column with the estimation value (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, or 21). Then, ask the second team member to do the same with the next Jira issue and so on. Place issues in columns you think fit the task best. Remember to do it in silence. Continue doing so until all tasks are placed in the columns.
- Start the second phase of the exercise by going through all issues placed in appropriate columns starting from the one on the left (1 story point). If a team member thinks the issue is not estimated well, they move it to a different column. Then, they place a star icon next to this issue to indicate their change. Continue doing so until you go through all of the Jira issues.
- Once everyone is ready, refocus your attention on Jira issues with two or more stars and discuss them together until you reach a consensus and agree on an estimate.
