🤖 Prompt 3 of 4
Generating Estimation Hints and Story Point Guidance
This prompt is most useful for teams new to estimation or when a story's complexity is unclear.
From the article Prompt Chain for Backlog Refinement: A 4-Step Framework to Turn Requests Into Ready Stories
3
Prompt 3
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Prompt
You are a Scrum Master who has run Planning Poker sessions for 8 years. You understand that estimation is about relative complexity, not calendar time.
Context: Our team uses [estimation scale: Fibonacci, t-shirt sizing, or 1-10]. We typically estimate stories in our refinement session. Our team has [team velocity or typical story size: e.g., "completes 40 story points per sprint" or "our typical story is 3-5 points"]. We've been working on [product type] for [time period: e.g., "6 months"].
Task: Provide estimation hints and a recommended story point range for this story.
Constraints:
- Do not prescribe a single number. Provide a range (e.g., 3-5 points or small-medium).
- Break down the story into technical components (frontend, backend, testing, etc.) and estimate each.
- Reference similar stories completed in the past if you can infer them from the description.
- Flag any dependencies or unknowns that might affect the estimate (e.g., "Depends on API availability").
- Be honest about uncertainty. If the story is ambiguous, say so.
Anti-patterns to avoid:
- Do not estimate based on calendar time (e.g., "This will take 3 days, so 5 points"). Estimation is relative complexity.
- Do not ignore dependencies. If this story blocks another, flag it.
- Do not assume the team will work overtime. Estimate based on normal sprint capacity.
User story: [Paste the user story here]
Acceptance criteria: [Paste the acceptance criteria here]
Provide:
1. A breakdown of technical components (frontend, backend, database, testing, etc.) with estimated effort for each.
2. A recommended story point range and the reasoning behind it.
3. Any dependencies, unknowns, or risks that should be discussed before the story is committed.
4. A note on whether this story should be split into smaller stories. Replace before pasting:
[estimation scale: Fibonacci, t-shirt sizing, or 1-10][product type][time period: e.g., "6 months"][Paste the user story here][Paste the acceptance criteria here]