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Ideal Days

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Ideal Days is a time-based estimation unit used in Agile to measure the effort needed to complete a task or user story by assuming that the team member faces no distractions or obstacles. This unit provides an estimation of how long it would take in terms of perfect working days to finish the job. …

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Agile Project Management - Ideal Days Example Questions

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Question 1

In a project, a team member estimates 2 ideal days to complete a specific task. However, she can only work 50% of her time on this task. How long will it take her to complete the task?

Correct Answer: 4 calendar days

Since the team member can only work 50% of her time on the task, it will take her twice as long to complete it. Thus, 2 ideal days * 2 = 4 calendar days.

Question 2

Your Agile team consists of 5 members, and together they usually complete 10 ideal days of work in one calendar day. However, the majority of the team (4 members) is attending a workshop for the next two days. The remaining team member, who is not attending the workshop, was left to complete a task estimated at 4 ideal days. Assuming that each team member contributes equally to the team's productivity, what is the expected completion date for the task?

Correct Answer: The task will be completed in 2 calendar days.

To solve this problem, let's break it down into steps: 1. The team consists of 5 members, and they complete 10 ideal days of work in one calendar day. 2. This means that each team member contributes 10 / 5 = 2 ideal days of work per calendar day. 3. For the next two days, only one team member will be working, while the other 4 attend the workshop. 4. The remaining team member can complete 2 ideal days of work per calendar day (as per step 2). 5. The task is estimated at 4 ideal days. 6. Since the remaining team member can complete 2 ideal days of work per calendar day, they will need 4 / 2 = 2 calendar days to complete the task. Therefore, the correct answer is: The task will be completed in 2 calendar days.

Question 3

You have estimated a task will take 4 ideal days but due to an unforeseen issue, it might take twice the estimated time. How should you adjust the task estimation?

Correct Answer: Re-estimate the task to 8 ideal days

The best possible answer is to 'Re-estimate the task to 8 ideal days'. In Agile project management, the estimation of tasks is based on the complexity and unforeseen issues that might arise during implementation. If an unforeseen issue arises that will cause the task to take twice the estimated time, it is best to re-estimate. This is because insisting on completing the task in 4 ideal days might not be feasible or realistic considering the issue, and assigning more team members may not necessarily mean the task will finish faster as it depends on the nature of the task. Changing the estimation to hours instead of ideal days simply changes the units of estimation but does not address the unforeseen issue causing delay.

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