As a generally accepted agile pattern, bug and chore issues are NOT assigned any point as these issues cannot be properly estimated.
Once a feature has all the required meta-data (title, description, acceptance criteria), it needs to be estimated by the development squad.
The estimation can be done either by a single developer or by the whole development squad. We usually do not follow any formal methodology such as Planning Poker but favor open communication. We also accept and actually embrace that estimation can be biased based on who will estimate. As long as the individual or squad who made the estimation is also the one who will execute the work, the estimation will likely be correct and will represent the actual velocity of the individual and the development team over time.
We use the Fibonacci-based scale 0, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 to estimate feature stories.
When assigning points to a user story, we follow the multi-faceted guideline hereafter:
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0 point: no complexity, no unknowns. The effort required is usually less than an hour, e.g. change of text or image.
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1 point: no complexity, no unknowns. The effort required is usually between a couple of hours and one day.
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2 points: no complexity (as-in “it’s something I have done before”) but it takes more time to implement than a two-point story. So the effort required is usually around 1-2 days.
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3 points: medium complexity due to having some unknowns and needs for research. So developers probably know how to do 50% of it only. The effort required is usually between 2-3 days.
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5 points: high complexity due to having lots of unknowns because either it requires lots of research or because developers have never done it before. The effort required is usually between 3-5 days.
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8 points: indicative that the story is too complex or large, thus needs to be re-worked and broken down into smaller stories.