Pointing Stories in ServiceNow: A Guide to Effort Estimation with Best Practices and Examples

Effort estimation is a critical aspect of project planning and execution. In the context of ServiceNow, pointing stories involves assigning relative effort values to user stories or tasks to gauge the complexity and time required for their implementation. In this article, we will explore the process of pointing stories in ServiceNow, along with best practices and examples to consider.

Understanding Story Points in ServiceNow:

1. Definition of Story Points:

- Story points are a unit of measure used to estimate the effort required to complete a user story. They are a relative measure rather than an absolute one, allowing teams to assess the complexity and size of tasks in comparison to one another.

2. Factors to Consider:

- Complexity: Evaluate the complexity of the task or user story. Consider factors such as dependencies, the number of integrations, and the level of customization required.

- Uncertainty: Account for any uncertainties or unknowns associated with the task. The more uncertain a task is, the higher the story points might be.

- Effort: Estimate the overall effort required, including development, testing, and any additional tasks like documentation or user training.

Best Practices for Pointing Stories in ServiceNow:

1. Collaborative Estimation:

- Involve the entire team in the pointing process. Leverage the collective knowledge and experience of team members to arrive at more accurate estimates.

2. Use a Consistent Scale:

- Define a consistent scale for story points, such as the Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc.). This scale helps express the relative effort without getting bogged down in precise numbers.

3. Reference Stories:

- Keep reference stories that represent different levels of complexity. Use these reference stories as benchmarks for estimating new tasks, ensuring a consistent understanding of what each point value represents.

4. Consider Historical Velocity:

- Review the team's historical velocity, which is the average number of story points completed in previous sprints. This can provide insights into the team's capacity and help in more accurate estimation.

5. Reevaluate Periodically:

- Regularly review and adjust the story points assigned to tasks. As the team gains more information or experience, reevaluation ensures that estimates remain accurate.

Example of Pointing Stories in ServiceNow:

Let's consider a scenario where a ServiceNow development team is tasked with implementing a new IT service catalog item for employee onboarding. The team might break down the user story into sub-tasks and assign story points based on complexity:

1. User Story: Employee Onboarding

- Sub-Tasks:

- Create HR Form (5 points): Involves creating a form with various fields for HR data.

- Workflow Configuration (8 points): Setting up an approval workflow for the onboarding process.

- Integration with Active Directory (13 points): Requires integrating with AD for user account creation.

- Testing and Validation (3 points): Ensure that the onboarding process works as expected.

In this example, the team collaboratively assigns story points to each sub-task based on the factors discussed earlier—complexity, uncertainty, and effort.

Conclusion:

Pointing stories in ServiceNow is a crucial step in agile development, providing teams with a shared understanding of the effort required for each task. By following best practices, maintaining consistency, and involving the entire team in the estimation process, ServiceNow projects can benefit from more accurate planning and improved delivery predictability. Regularly revisiting and refining estimates ensures that the team adapts to evolving project requirements and maintains a high level of estimation accuracy.