Story & sub-task: hiding & showing fields

[GilK]

Hi,

I have a story and a sub-task which is created under story. They both share the same screens (is it a good idea?).

1. What is the best way to hide 'story points' fields when adding\editing a sub-task? is it right to do?

2. Do you let your users fill 'remaining time' on story or is it a calucalted only field?

3. What is the best way to hide 'remaining time' when adding\editing a story?

Thanks,

Janiv.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

1. Probably best to set up a different screen-scheme for the sub-tasks, using a different create and edit screen for the sub-tasks.

2. It's calculated, the field is actually "time tracking" and it's worked out from the original estimate and what the users log as work against the issue.

3. As 1, but leave off the time-tracking fields

[GilK]

Thanks,

We usually set the remaining time for a story, is it a godd idea?

When we log work on a task it adds it to the story remaining time which is not good... because it takes story time + sub tasks time.

Thanks,

Janiv.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

I agree with Renjith on that one ;-)

[Renjith Pillai]

Setting remaining time for a story is not a good idea in my opinion. The time tracking should happen only on the sub-tasks and that is meant for the team to see their Sprint Burn Down based on hours. At the same time, the story burn down based on the story points at the Story level is what should be looked at by the Product Owner for his release projection and release date calculations. So the efforts at the story level actually does not make much sense.

And I hope that you do not have any conversion factor you apply for getting story points from an effort estimate. That is totally against the principle of the story point.

The calculated remaining time from a story perspective is again for the team to see how much effort is remaining for the story from the team's view, but not from a Product Owner's view.

Btw, these are just my opinions.

[GilK]

When do you reach the point when all your stories and tasks are extimated?

Thanks,

[Renjith Pillai]

Frankly you will never reach that as new stories will be flowing into the backlog continously. But if it is for a particular Epic alone, stories get estimated on a story point basis once we have some fair idea of the epic itself. But task estimations happen only during the sprint planning for the story picked up.

[GilK]

How deep inside the sprint you estimate your tasks?

do all of them are opened and estimated on the sprint first/second day, or they are opened and estimated on demand - when the user reach the story (theortically this can be the last day of the sprint)?

Thanks,

Janiv.

[Renjith Pillai]

Sprint Planning itself. If the team can't estimate the tasks for the story that they are planning for the sprint during sprint planning, it indicates that the preparation by the team (called by many names, I am using Grooming) is not good enough. And poker cards are used for the estimate to cut short unwanted discussion and to reach quick consensus.

Without an estimate happening in Sprint Planning, it is somewhat impossible to give commitment to the product owner about the items the teams can do in that sprint.