Why Teams Try to Convert Story Points to Hours

Teams often attempt to convert Fibonacci story points to hours for several reasons:

• Familiarity with time-based estimation
• Pressure from stakeholders for precise timelines
• Desire to track individual productivity
• Need to justify sprint commitments
• Historical project management practices

The Problems with Converting Points to Hours

1. Inconsistent Individual Performance

Different team members may take vastly different amounts of time to complete the same story point value. A 5-point story might take one developer 2 hours and another 8 hours, depending on their experience and familiarity with the codebase.

2. Loss of Relative Sizing Benefits

Story points are designed to measure relative complexity, not time. Converting them to hours defeats the purpose of using the Fibonacci scale (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21) for agile estimation.

3. False Sense of Precision

Hours-based estimates create an illusion of accuracy that doesn't exist in software development. The modified Fibonacci sequence (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100) is specifically designed to acknowledge uncertainty.

Better Alternatives to Time Conversion

1. Use Velocity for Sprint Planning

Instead of converting points to hours, track your team's velocity (average story points completed per sprint) to predict future capacity. This accounts for the team's actual performance rather than theoretical time estimates.

2. Create Reference Stories

Establish a set of reference stories with agreed-upon point values. New stories can be compared to these references for more consistent estimation without involving hours.

3. Focus on Relative Sizing

Use planning poker to compare stories against each other. If Story A is a 3 and Story B seems twice as complex, it should be a 5 or 8, regardless of how long either might take.

How to Handle Stakeholder Questions About Time

1. Explain the Purpose of Story Points

Help stakeholders understand that story points measure complexity and effort, not time. A 5-point story might take different amounts of time for different team members or under different circumstances.

2. Use Velocity for Predictions

Show how velocity (story points per sprint) provides more reliable predictions than converting points to hours. This accounts for the team's actual performance and capacity.

3. Provide Ranges Instead of Exact Times

If stakeholders need time estimates, provide ranges based on historical data. "Our team typically completes 20-25 story points per sprint" is more accurate than converting each point to hours.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Don't create point-to-hour conversion charts - They encourage false precision
• Don't track individual point completion - Story points are a team metric
• Don't use points for performance evaluation - They measure complexity, not productivity
• Don't mix points and hours - Choose one estimation approach

Tools for Story Point Estimation

Modern planning poker tools like EstimateIt make it easy to focus on story points without the temptation to convert to hours. Look for features like:

• Built-in Fibonacci and modified Fibonacci scales
• Velocity tracking and sprint planning
• Reference story management
• Team-based estimation views
• No registration required for quick setup

Conclusion

While it might be tempting to convert Fibonacci story points to hours, doing so undermines the benefits of agile estimation. Instead, focus on relative sizing, team velocity, and consistent reference stories to improve your estimation accuracy and sprint planning.

Remember, the goal of story points is to measure complexity and effort, not time. By avoiding the conversion to hours, you'll get more accurate estimates and better sprint planning.