Affinity Estimating

5 minutes 5 Questions

Affinity Estimating is a technique where a large amount of user stories are roughly estimated in a short time. The team sorts the user stories into categories based on their relative size. They can, for instance, be sorted as small, medium, large, or as per T-Shirt sizes (S, M, L). The discussions …

Guide for Affinity Estimating

Affinity Estimating is an important topic for PSM I, not only in the working world but also in exam scenarios.

What is Affinity Estimating?
Affinity Estimating is a technique used in agile project management to create estimates of the time and effort a project will need. It involves breaking down a project into user stories or tasks and grouping these into categories based on their size or difficulty.

Why is it Important?
It is essential because it allows for a more precise approximation of the time and resources that a project will demand. This aids in planning and resource allocation, helping to mitigate risks related to project overruns.

How does Affinity Estimating Work?
In Affinity Estimating, project tasks are written on cards. Team members collectively decide where the card belongs in predefined size categories usually labelled with t-shirt sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL). The discussion that takes place promotes a shared understanding.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Affinity Estimating
When facing exam questions on this topic, remember:
1. Understand the basis of Affinity Estimating. It's about relative sizing and collaboration.
2. Make sure you are able to distinguish it from other estimating techniques.
3. In most cases, Affinity Estimating is used for initial rough estimation not for final planning.
4. Recall that Affinity Estimating encourages discussion and consensus among team members.

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PSM I - Affinity Estimating Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Affinity Estimating

Question 1

You are a Scrum Master of a team that is new in using Affinity Estimating. A team member asks for a clear explanation of 'bucket system'. How would you best explain?

Bucket system is a collaborative estimation technique where tasks or stories are sorted into buckets representing different levels of effort or complexity. Bucket system involves dividing the project into various segments or 'buckets', and each team member is assigned a bucket to optimize focus and accountability in their area of expertise. This technique ensures that all components of the project are developed in parallel, enhancing efficiency. Bucket system is a technique where team members place their votes on stories by putting them into buckets, each bucket representing a different level of priority and resources needed. Bucket system is a prioritization method where tasks are arranged from highest to lowest urgency in different buckets based on their impact and effort required.

Correct Answer: Bucket system is a collaborative estimation technique where tasks or stories are sorted into buckets representing different levels of effort or complexity.

The bucket system in Affinity Estimating refers specifically to the technique of sorting tasks or stories into categories representing different levels of effort or complexity, not to prioritization, voting on priorities, or dividing project responsibilities among team members. This method helps in visually and collaboratively grouping work items for a more efficient estimation process.

Question 2

As a Scrum Master, during an Affinity Estimation process, you notice two team members having an argument about the size of several stories. What is the best approach to handle this situation?

Encourage team members to share their estimates anonymously, then discuss the reasons behind the most divergent ones to seek understanding. Suggest breaking down the stories into smaller tasks and having each team member estimate these individually. Assign the responsibility of final estimation to the Product Owner to avoid further conflict and speed up the process. Implement a voting system where each member casts their vote on story sizes, and the majority vote decides the final estimate.

Correct Answer: Encourage team members to share their estimates anonymously, then discuss the reasons behind the most divergent ones to seek understanding.

The correct approach emphasizes open communication and collaboration among team members, using divergences as an opportunity for the team to gain a deeper understanding of the work involved. Assigning the final estimation to the Product Owner undermines the team's autonomy and collaborative aspects of agile estimation processes. Breaking down stories into smaller tasks for individual estimation may help in some cases but doesn't address the conflict at hand. Implementing a voting system might seem democratic but can also suppress valuable discussions that lead to shared understanding and consensus.

Question 3

You are a Scrum Master for an experienced team who has never used the Affinity Estimating method before. They are wondering what the best conditions are for using Affinity Estimating. What do you tell them?

Affinity Estimating works best when the team has a large number of user stories to estimate. Affinity Estimating works best when the team is unfamiliar with the project requirements. Affinity Estimating is only useful when the team needs a break from Planning Poker. Affinity Estimating should only be used when the team cannot agree on an estimate.

Correct Answer: Affinity Estimating works best when the team has a large number of user stories to estimate.

Affinity Estimating is a quick and collaborative technique for estimating large numbers of user stories, best used when there are too many user stories to realistically enable the use of elaborative estimation techniques like Planning Poker. Estimate made through Affinity Analysis is meant to help the team in getting a deeper understanding of user stories, not as a break or alternative due to disagreements on estimations. The method is also not best suited when the team is unfamiliar with the project requirements since the process relies on the team's collective understanding of the user stories based on their size and complexity. Therefore, the statement 'Affinity Estimating works best when the team has a large number of user stories to estimate.' is correct.

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