Time planning in the context of the BVOP is a continuous process. For detailed estimates of required time for completion 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 is already done, its time consumption may be a base for future time estimations.
Current knowledge of scope and requirements
When effort is originally planned, the estimated development time may no longer be true as scope and requirements may have changed.
Re-estimating of the required time for an effort to be developed is recommended before development starts by checking all current known requirements and scope.
Re-estimating 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, 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
Teams 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 work (efforts).
Conversion of relative points to real-time estimate
Conversion of relational points to real-time is possible but should be used with caution as this conversion returns approximate value and not a precise needed time for an effort.
Basic conversion of relative points to real time can be based on the current team velocity, a fixed time interval, and the total effort points of all planned efforts.
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