Painting a wall: A journey to understand estimations in Agile teams

Imagine you want to paint a wall in your house. This seemingly simple project, when analyzed more deeply, uncovers many of the challenges agile teams face when estimating and planning their work. From the person hiring the painter to the team executing the task, each stage of this journey offers lessons about estimation, communication, and commitment.

When hiring a painter, you will likely ask, “How much time and money will it take to paint this wall?” At this point, the painter must analyze several factors: the condition of the wall, the required materials, the time needed to prepare the surface, and how many coats of paint to apply.

In agile teams, estimating also involves considering the relative effort required to complete a task. A common mistake is mapping estimates directly to hours of work. For example, a team using Fibonacci scales might assign specific time values to each number. Teaching teams that estimations reflect relative effort, not specific time, enables any team member to approach a task with a shared understanding of the required effort.

Imagine the painter estimates that the job will take two weeks to complete. As the homeowner, you might assume this is a firm commitment. However, the painter could be considering unforeseen factors such as weather or drying time between coats.

Similarly, in agile teams, it’s important to understand that estimates aid in planning, while commitments are based on what the team agrees to deliver by the end of the sprint. During planning, the team decides how much work to take on based on their capacity and priorities. Understanding this distinction fosters better comprehension of estimation’s purpose.

Suppose you hire multiple painters for different rooms in your house. If each painter uses a different criteria to estimate time and cost, comparing results becomes confusing. Likewise, in agile teams, frequently changing estimation techniques makes it harder to establish reliable trends.

Using the same estimation technique over several sprints helps establish benchmarks. This doesn’t imply rigidity; retrospectives are the perfect time to assess and adjust the method if necessary. Consistency in techniques provides clarity for both the team and stakeholders.

The painter arrives with their team, and you, as the homeowner, expect someone to make technical decisions. However, the team lead (in this case, the Scrum Master) should not be the one performing the work or deciding specific details but rather facilitating the process.

The Scrum Master or Agile Coach has several key responsibilities:

• Facilitating discussions to align the team’s estimation criteria.
• Explaining the purpose and use of estimation tools.
• Promoting techniques like planning poker to resolve discrepancies.

For instance, if one member estimates “1” and another “8” for a task, the Scrum Master facilitates a conversation to understand the disparity and achieve consensus before moving forward. This approach promotes collaboration and shared understanding.

While the team is painting, you might insist they finish earlier because you’re expecting guests. This mirrors situations where a Product Owner pressures the team to lower estimates, potentially compromising quality.

If the painter skips steps such as cleaning and preparing the wall to save time, the paint might peel quickly. Similarly, in Scrum, skipping steps defined in the Definition of Done (DoD) leads to poor-quality results. It’s essential for the Product Owner to understand their role in defining what needs to be done but not how. Explaining the DoD’s impact on quality can prevent conflicts and set clear expectations.

As the work progresses, you’ll likely want to ensure everything is on track. You might approach the painters to ask if they are meeting the initial expectations or if there will be any adjustments to the schedule. In this scenario, you take on the role of the stakeholder in a Scrum environment: directly interested in the results but not necessarily involved in the process details.

It’s essential to understand that Scrum is an empirical process aimed at learning and improving with each iteration. By participating in sprint reviews, you can observe tangible progress and realize that estimations are tools for planning rather than firm promises. This approach fosters transparency and trust between you and the team.

A team of painters working together for the first time will need more time to coordinate and understand their process compared to an experienced team. Similarly, agile teams must adapt their estimation approaches based on their maturity level.

Creating a safe environment where the team can experiment and learn is fundamental. This includes allowing for imperfect initial estimates and using retrospectives to improve continuously. This approach not only promotes continuous improvement but also reinforces values such as courage and commitment within the team.

Painting a wall may seem simple, but delving into the process reveals clear parallels with estimation in agile teams. Estimations are not commitments but tools to better understand and plan work. Avoiding common mistakes and fostering a continuous learning environment enables teams to deliver high-quality products predictably and adaptively.

Are you ready to rethink how you estimate? If you want to dive deeper into these concepts and take your team to the next level, consider joining our Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM) course. Learn practical tools and enhance your skills to transform the way you work with your team.