Inspiration
Many software teams find estimation very difficult. This is due to the fact that software development is not a linear process. This makes it very difficult to say with certainty how long something will take to complete Furthermore, when we start to work on a new thing “we don’t know what we don’t know” (and in some cases the Dunning-Kruger effect can also be an issue here). The things we don’t know or the problems we have not solved before are the ones that throw our initial estimates out. Also in a team environment where different members might have a different view of how long a task will take subjective interpretation can play a key role in giving estimates that are far off being accurate. The T-Shirt estimator tool aims to:
Provide a structured framework for estimation.
- Removes the reliance on subjective questions like "How long will this take?"
Encourages asking targeted questions about the task.
- Highlights unknowns or areas requiring further exploration before starting work.
Promotes consistency in estimation across individuals and teams.
- Identifies potential obstacles early, improving the accuracy of planning.
Why T-Shirt sizes T-shirt size estimation eliminate the illusion of precision can keeps you focused on estimation. Estimations being estimates should be has precise has possible however with the non linear nature of software development aiming for precision causes more issues. (Yes, this tool is quite opinionated in that respect)
What it does
Based on some key areas that impact the delivery of software the T-Short Estimation Tool uses a question based multistep form in the issue panel to determine the T-Shirt size estimation. The tool has a bias towards advocating for smaller estimations so it makes suggestions to users about how they might be able to breakdown the task into smaller units of work. It also gives the option to convert the T-Shirt estimate into story points which allows users to hook into other Jira functionality supported by story points while maintaining a consistent method of estimating work.
How we built it
This was built using the Jira Forge platform using Javascript & React JS along with the forge REST API to set story points and the Forge key value store to store the derived estimate and the users answers to questions that the tool asked.
Challenges we ran into
Forge uses react with some slightly differences like calling async functions in useEffect works a bit differently. However, the documentation is very good and working round this was not difficult. Also some challenges with using react test library. I Would love to see react test library or something similar integrated into future versions
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Being able to solve a pain point that many developers and project managers face daily.
What we learned
While doing research for this app I learned a lot about software estimation and the different schools of thought around how to approach software estimation. It is something that solves a problem for me and I think it will help other think about estimation differently
What's next for T-Shirt Estimation Tool
Lots of ideas for new features such as making it more configurable fro example allowing users to define their own set of questions for the tool. Also think this will work nicely with Rovo for example being able to analyse past tickets and finding similarities and using that to help with estimations because past performance is a good indication of future performance.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.