practice at least one way to size Product Backlog Items so they fit into a Sprint.

The process of sizing Product Backlog Items (PBIs) in Scrum is crucial to ensure that the team can realistically deliver the expected output within a given Sprint. Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (A-CSD), professionals are expected to master these techniques to optimize resources and maximize product delivery efficiency. One of the most common and effective ways to size PBIs is through Planning Poker or Scrum Poker. Below, we break down how this technique works and how it fits within a sprint.

1. Understanding Planning Poker

Planning Poker is an agile estimating technique that originated from the Extreme Programming (XP) methodology. It was designed to combine expert opinion, analogy, and disaggregation into one straightforward process that promotes healthy team discussion and consensus.

2. How Does Planning Poker Work?

Here is a step-by-step guide on how Planning Poker plays out in a standard Scrum meeting:

1. Product Backlog Presentation: The Product Owner presents a PBI from the Product Backlog to the Development Team, explaining its significance, benefits, and challenges.
2. Team Questions: The Development Team holds a question-and-answer session with the Product Owner to clarify any issues related to the PBI.
3. Silent Estimation: Each team member independently estimates the PBI size privately, represented by Planning Poker cards. These cards follow a modified Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, …) where each number represents story points indicative of work complexity.
4. Card Reveal: Team members simultaneously reveal their estimates. Consequently, it prevents early responders from influencing those estimating later.
5. Discussion: If there is a discrepancy in the size estimates, the highest and lowest estimators must present their reasons. It facilitates a robust discussion, allowing the team members to analyze the PBI from different angles.
6. Re-Estimation: Steps 3-5 are repeated until the team reaches a consensus on the PBI’s size.

3. Fitting PBIs into a Sprint Using Planning Poker

Once the PBIs are sized, they can be divided to fit into a Sprint in line with the team’s velocity. Velocity is the average number of story points a team can complete within a Sprint. For example, if a team’s velocity is 30 story points per Sprint, the PO and the team can use this measurement to plan how many PBIs (and which ones) will fit into the upcoming Sprint.

Let’s consider an example:

Assume that a team with a velocity of 30 points has the following PBIs to work on, with their respective story points.

In this case, the team could choose to include PBI 1, PBI 2, and PBI 3 in the upcoming sprint. They total 26 points, which falls within the team’s velocity. This combination allows the team to work efficiently, avoiding pushing the team to its full capacity, which can lead to quality compromise and burnout.

4. Conclusion

Understanding how to size PBIs and fitting them into a Sprint is essential for agile teams to plan realistically and work efficiently. This knowledge helps Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (A-CSD) professionals to manage team resources effectively, streamline the development process, and deliver a quality product within the expected timeframe.