The following article is a sample from the full BVOP™ Ultimate Guide and is part of the preparation for the BVOP™'s modern Agile Project Management Certification Program.
Time planning in the context of the BVOP is a continuous process. For detailed estimates of required completion time of a given effort (task, item or initiative that needs work) multiple factors are taken into account:
- Previous time consumption of a similar activity
- Current knowledge of scope and requirements
- Relational effort points
- Teams velocity
Previous time consumption of a similar activity
If a similar effort or activity has already been done, its time consumption may be a base for future time estimations.
Current knowledge of scope and requirements
When effort is already planned, the estimated development time may no longer be correct as scope and requirements may have changed.
Re-estimating the required time for an effort to be executed is recommended before development starts. This can be done by checking all current known requirements and scope.
Re-estimation of an effort may reflect on the total time estimation of all other known and defined efforts.
Relational effort points
Relational effort points are recommended by the BVOP when an effort is being estimated.
For example, instead of putting an estimate of 3 days for a task, giving it 10 effort points would be a better relative estimate that is not strictly bound to an exact required amount of time that, in some cases, may not be accurate.
Story points and T-Shirt sizes are popular measurement examples of relational effort points.
Teams velocity
Team velocity is a popular term that means an approximate amount of work a team can produce for a defined timeframe.
Using team velocity is a helpful tool for estimating the completion time of a collection of planned efforts (work).
Conversion of relative points to a real time estimate
Conversion of relational points to real-time is possible but should be used with caution, as this conversion gives approximate values and not the exact needed time for an effort.
The basic conversion of relative points to a real time can be based on the current team’s velocity, the fixed time interval, and the total effort points of all planned efforts.
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