Question 1

Who should estimate story points in agile?

Accepted Answer

The development team should estimate story points. They have the best understanding of the codebase, dependencies, and the actual effort required to implement a story. When someone outside the team provides an estimate, it lacks technical insight and often leads to unrealistic expectations and poor planning.

Question 2

Should the Product Owner estimate story points?

Accepted Answer

No — unless the Product Owner has a deep understanding of the codebase. Without that knowledge, they lack insight into the actual effort required to build the software. The Product Owner role demands full focus on other responsibilities, leaving no bandwidth to stay deeply involved in the technical work that informs accurate estimates.

Question 3

Should the Scrum Master estimate story points?

Accepted Answer

Only if the Scrum Master has deep technical knowledge of the codebase. In practice, this is rare — the Scrum Master role focuses on facilitating the team's process, not on the technical implementation details that drive accurate estimates. The development team is best positioned to provide reliable story point estimates.

Question 4

Why shouldn't someone outside the development team estimate story points?

Accepted Answer

Estimates from outside the development team lack firsthand knowledge of the current state of the codebase, dependencies, and potential complexities. This leads to inaccurate estimates, unrealistic expectations, and poor sprint planning. Only the people doing the work have the context needed to estimate it reliably.

Question 5

What happens when a manager or stakeholder tries to influence story point estimates?

Accepted Answer

When stakeholders push for lower estimates, it's often a form of anchoring bias — trying to influence the team toward a number that fits a desired timeline rather than reflecting actual effort. This leads to unrealistic expectations and project failures. Instead, walk them through why the estimate is what it is, where the risks are, and how scope could be reduced to lower the effort honestly.

Who Should Estimate Story Points? Understanding Agile Best Practices

Story Points 101

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