Agile estimation techniques and strategies

Agile estimation is a crucial component of agile product development, allowing teams to predict the time and resources needed for various tasks within a sprint. The two primary techniques for agile estimation are planning poker and t-shirt sizing, which help scrum teams assess the complexity and scale of work items. Planning poker involves team members using numbered cards to estimate task complexity, aiming for consensus to ensure a shared understanding, while t-shirt sizing uses standard clothing sizes to categorize tasks based on their complexity. These estimations facilitate effective sprint planning and help teams maintain a realistic workflow by understanding their velocity, which is the average number of story points they can complete in a sprint. Estimations are not directly tied to time but serve as a reference for forecasting task completion, aiding communication with stakeholders and improving project predictability. Despite inherent uncertainties, agile estimation provides valuable insights for decision-making and helps teams refine processes over time.