Purpose
Helps clarify backlog, sprint work, and team flow in concrete terms. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as Point Estimates, Reference Stories, and Velocity Data.
Agile
Story Points
Moves backlog, sprint work, and team flow toward a concrete result through "choose reference stories", "define the scale", and "interpret velocity only within the team".
How large is this item relative to our reference stories, considering scope, complexity, risk and uncertainty?
MediumWorkshop + asynclaufend, 1-5 min je Item
How it works
The team follows the steps "choose reference stories", "define the scale", "compare items relatively", "assign points", and "interpret velocity only within the team". Each step is made visible. At the end, Point Estimates, Reference Stories, and Velocity Data are available so decisions, tests, or actions can continue directly.
Visual orientation
Method sketch for a quick mental model.
Flow
- 1Choose reference stories
- 2Define the scale
- 3Compare items relatively
- 4Assign points
- 5Interpret velocity only within the team
The runsheet guides execution with 4 phases, timeboxes, 5 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.
Open runsheetIdeal for
- Relative sizing
- Backlog refinement
- Team planning
Not good for
- Cross-team benchmarking
- Very small standard tasks
- Management performance metrics
Deep dive
In detail
Story Points are not a universal unit of time, but a team-specific relative size. A team compares one item with another and assigns points for effort, complexity, and uncertainty in relation to each other. Velocity is then useful only as an internal signal for that same team. It should not be turned into a cross-team productivity metric.
Facilitation
Use a small set of reference stories and revisit them regularly. Keep the scale stable once the team has calibrated. Never compare velocity across teams as if it were an objective productivity measure.
Output artifacts
Point EstimatesReference StoriesVelocity Data
Artifact templates
Story Points Working TemplateCompact working template for Story Points with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.markdown
Story Points Working TemplateCompact working template for Story Points with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
markdownstory-points-working-template.md
Compact working template for Story Points with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
Story Points Working Template
Goal
Relative unit for estimating scope, complexity, risk, and uncertainty of backlog items.
Context
When and for what do we use this method?
Input
Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?
Execution
Short notes along the runsheet.
Output artifacts
- Point Estimates:
- Reference Stories:
- Velocity Data:
Assumptions and open questions
- ...
Decision / Next step
Owner, date, and success signal.
When to choose differently
Short decision aid for existing alternatives.
NoEstimates
Statt Story Points, wenn ihr Durchsatz über Fluss und Lieferung steuern wollt statt über Pflichtschätzungen.
Monte Carlo Forecasting
Statt Story Points, wenn ihr mit Wahrscheinlichkeiten statt mit Einzelschätzungen planen wollt.
Similar methods
All methodsAgile
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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".
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Scrum
Product Backlog, Sprint Goal, Increment, and retrospective loops create a repeatable cadence for complex product work.