Here’s my controversial POV about Story Points vs Time Estimates 🤺 (i.e. the difference between #Estimating Consulting Projects and internal ones).
First let me just say that one of the best things about working with amazing people like Nathaniel Sombu – an incredibly seasoned architect and an all-round #GoodHumanBean is how generous he is with his knowledge, skills and time. ❤️
We are both Technical Coaches (though perhaps I am more on the PM/Governance coaching side of the delivery) with The Technical Collective and we’re working with Jo Latham and Valentine Uche on a project for one of our non-profits and we were on the topic of “estimation methods.”
So here’s my (controversial) opinion.
In agile product teams (internal/in-house):
🍩 We estimate by complexity using story points (1, 2, 3, 5, 8…)
🍩 We measure velocity – how many points the team completes per sprint
🍩 As the team bonds and learns, velocity increases naturally
🍩 It’s about continuous improvement and team growth
In consulting projects:
🍩 We estimate by TIME – how long will this actually take?
🍩 We already know our team composition (mostly juniors vs seniors)
🍩 We’re billing by the hour/day, so clients need concrete timelines
🍩 The architect thinks: “If I built this, 1 day. But I’m giving it to someone with 2 years experience, so 4 days.”
The difference is that story points work brilliantly for teams that stay together and grow. But when you’re being paid for delivery within a defined scope and timeline, clients need to know “how long” and more importantly, “HOW MUCH” and not “how complex.”
Only large consulting projects that might be multi-year with big teams (scrum of scrums, anyone?), that are really leaning into the SAFe® or The Scaled Agile Framework® (cough – this topic really needs it’s own article) would estimate in story points. 😬
I’ve not really known small to mid sized ones doing that effectively, and in a way that the clients truly understand OR buy in whole-heartedly. Not unless they have deep pockets and haven’t got fixed requirements, and view the project delivery journey as a “growing and learning”experience. 🌱
I believe that both approaches have their place.
The key is knowing which tool to use when! 🛠️
What’s your experience?
Happy to be proven wrong – so bring on your stories of successful story pointing in consulting projects!!
P.S. Still think the architect saying “I could do it in 1 day but my junior will need 4” is the most honest conversation in consulting! 😁
