Agile Decision method
Estimates work in an internal team unit and exposes assumptions that can distort actual capacity.
Sie übersetzt Arbeit in geschätzte Idealzeit ohne Störungen und hält damit einen leicht verständlichen Referenzwert fest. So lassen sich Aufgaben vergleichbar einordnen, auch wenn sie unterschiedlich aussehen und später anders laufen.
How many uninterrupted workdays does an item require under explicit ideal conditions, and which real calendar factors are planned separately?
The practice is repeated across comparable work items.
Definition
Clarify ideal day, included work, and Done together.
Anchors
Choose completed items as 1-, 3-, and 5-ideal-day references.
Estimate
Estimate relative to anchors in ideal days and name dominant work portions.
Reality
Capture waiting, part-time focus, meetings, dependencies, and WIP separately; do not hide a buffer in the ideal value.
Review
Compare ideal value with actual active/calendar duration and calibrate anchors.
Add new evidence at review and version estimates with the prior state.
Wenn Aufwand in echte Arbeitszeit gedacht werden soll, bietet sie einen einfachen Nenner für Vergleiche. Sie macht Schätzung näher an der Frage, wie viel ununterbrochene Zeit etwas braucht.
Ideal-day estimates with reference anchors, ideal assumptions, excluded waiting, and separate calendar/capacity translation.
Fictional example
Fictional values show the actual method fields.
| Item | Included/Done | Anchor | Ideal days | Ideal assumption | Calendar factors | Actual/review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Save cardAdd evidence and rationale. | Build, tests, security review, rollout | Provider token=3 | 3 | No interruption; existing API | 2 queue days; 60% focus | 3.5 active; 6 calendar |
| Validation ruleAdd evidence and rationale. | Build, tests, review | 1-day anchor | 1 | Known rule engine | 1 review queue day | 1 active; 2 calendar |
All values are fictional.
Define an ideal day as one uninterrupted workday without waiting, context switching, or parallel obligations; retain full Done.
When effort needs to be thought of as real working time, it offers a simple common denominator for comparison. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as Ideal Day Estimates, Assumption Notes, and Capacity Caveats.
It translates work into estimated ideal time free of interruptions and thereby fixes an easily understood reference value. This allows tasks to be classified comparably, even when they look different and later turn out differently.
Ideal Days separate effort from calendar time. An ideal day means one day of focused work without context switching, blockers, meetings, or queues. This lets teams talk about effort more concretely without turning that into a delivery date. The method needs calibration because real lead time is usually much higher than ideal working time.
Explain the difference between ideal working time and calendar time very clearly. Estimate together, not per role, when the team delivers jointly. Add assumptions about interruptions, dependencies, and uncertainty.
The method guide walks execution through 5 phases, timing, 5 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.
Open method guideYour perspective
Your feedback helps shape the next improvements to methodatlas.
Set subject, data, roles, flow, and review.
To be confirmed
To be confirmed
Practice run Time: 30–60 minutes for 8–15 prepared items.
Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.
| Item | Included/Done | Anchor | Ideal days | Ideal assumption | Calendar factors | Actual/review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Save card | ||||||
| Validation rule |
The blank worksheet contains prompts only.
Reference · original teaching example
Expected artifact: Ideal measure
Clarify ideal day, included work, and Done together.
Entry:
...
Expected artifact: Time anchors
Choose completed items as 1-, 3-, and 5-ideal-day references.
Entry:
...
Expected artifact: Ideal estimate
Estimate relative to anchors in ideal days and name dominant work portions.
Entry:
...
Expected artifact: Calendar factors
Capture waiting, part-time focus, meetings, dependencies, and WIP separately; do not hide a buffer in the ideal value.
Entry:
...
Expected artifact: Calibrated estimate
Compare ideal value with actual active/calendar duration and calibrate anchors.
Entry:
...
...
Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/ideal-days/run-sheet
Fitting alternatives with decision guidance, followed by other related methods.
Instead of Ideal Days, choose Story Points when you want to estimate relative complexity instead of calendar time and calibrate your estimation as a team.
Instead of Ideal Days, choose Monte Carlo Forecasting when you want to plan with probabilities instead of individual estimates.
Sorts backlog items roughly by reference sizes and flags early on which items will later need splitting or clarification.
Product Backlog, Sprint Goal, Increment, and retrospective loops create a repeatable cadence for complex product work.
Has the team group items silently, discusses deviations, and produces consistent relative size pictures.
Moves backlog, sprint work, and team flow toward a concrete result through "prepare buckets and scale", "place reference items", and "flag large or unclear items".
