The Agile Daily Standup - AgileDad Agile Estimation: Relative vs. Absolute
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Oct 21, 2025 Explore the fascinating world of Agile estimation, where teamwork and understanding take center stage. Learn why true estimation isn't about predicting the future but fostering alignment. Delve into the battle of absolute versus relative approaches: find out when each method shines or falters. Discover the speed and conversation benefits of relative estimates, plus the pitfalls of miscommunication. Lee emphasizes prioritizing accurate understanding while tracking velocity with story points, ensuring everyone is on the same page in their Agile journey.
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Estimation Builds Shared Understanding
- Estimation in Agile is about creating shared understanding, not predicting the future.
- Rough guesses spark valuable team conversations that improve planning and surface unknowns.
Prefer Accuracy Over Precision
- Aim for high accuracy and low precision when estimating work.
- Being approximately right beats being precisely wrong in planning decisions.
Avoid Time-Based Estimates
- Avoid time-based estimates because they rarely work and give false precision.
- Prefer relative units like story points or t-shirt sizes to improve accuracy and team alignment.