Guide · Agile estimation

Agile Estimation Best Practices

Agile estimation is not about predicting the future perfectly. It is about helping teams align on complexity, make informed decisions and plan sprints realistically. Planning Poker is one of the most popular techniques to support this.

Use story points, not hours

Many teams estimate work in story points instead of hours. Story points focus on relative effort, taking into account:

complexity of the work
amount of work involved
risk and uncertainty

Over time, your team will learn how many story points it can complete in a sprint (its velocity), which helps you plan future work more accurately.

Focus on comparison, not precision

Estimation works best when stories are compared to each other instead of treated as isolated items. A simple question like “Is this story bigger or smaller than that one?” helps the team decide on a reasonable value.

Break down work that is too large

If a story receives a very high estimate (for example, 21 or 34 points), it is often a sign that the story is too large or unclear. In that case:

split the story into smaller pieces
clarify requirements and acceptance criteria
identify dependencies and risks

Use Planning Poker to surface assumptions

When votes are far apart, it usually means people have different mental models of the work. Planning Poker makes these differences visible so that they can be discussed and resolved before development starts.

Timebox estimation sessions

Estimation should not take all day. Use timeboxes to keep refinement focused and productive. For example, dedicate 60–90 minutes per week to estimate upcoming stories.

Make estimation a team activity

Instead of having a single “expert” estimate tasks, involve the whole team. People doing the work should have a say in how big it is. This increases commitment and ownership.

Use data to improve over time

Over several sprints, your team will build a history of estimates versus completed work. You can use this data to:

spot patterns (over- or under-estimating)
adjust how you size stories
improve sprint planning and forecasting

Tip: Combining Planning Poker with regular backlog refinement helps keep stories small, clear and easy to estimate.

Want to put these ideas into practice? Start a Planning Poker session →