How to convert story points to hours

You can’t convert story points to hours. I know, it’s a bit of a letdown. You probably clicked on this article hoping for a magical formula that would easily turn those mysterious numbers into exact times. But here’s the honest truth:

Trying to convert story points to hours is like attempting to measure flour in minutes; it just doesn’t make sense.

I know it’s tempting to give up now, but hold on! There’s some valuable wisdom ahead that will make this whole estimation thing a lot clearer.

We get it, estimating is tough, and story points can feel confusing at first, especially when everyone just wants a simple answer to the age-old question:

“How long will this take?”

It’s human nature to want clear answers, especially when planning and managing projects. But in Agile, story points serve a different purpose altogether, and understanding that difference can really make your life easier.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into why converting story points to hours is not just not realistic but also counterproductive. We’ll explain what story points really are, why people often make the mistake of equating them with time, and how using story points correctly can actually benefit both developers and executives.

To make it all easy to understand, we’ll use a fun and relatable kitchen analogy to illustrate different levels of effort and complexity. By the end, you’ll see why thinking in terms of effort, rather than hours, is not only more accurate but also more liberating for your team.

First things first: what’s a story point anyway?

Let’s start at the beginning; story points. In the world of Agile, story points are used to estimate the effort required to complete a task or user story. They are not a direct measure of time but rather a way to gauge the complexity, uncertainty, and effort involved. Think of it as giving a task a difficulty rating instead of predicting how many hours it will take.

Why do people keep trying to convert story points into hours then? It’s because as humans, we naturally want clear answers. We want to know exactly how long something will take so we can plan, schedule, and meet deadlines. Especially in a business context, where executives often demand predictability, it feels comforting to translate abstract effort into exact hours. But here’s the thing: software development isn’t linear, and neither is estimating effort. Trying to map story points to hours is like forcing a round peg into a square hole. It just doesn’t fit.

Why Hours Just Don’t Cut It

Think about it practically for a moment. When you’re in the kitchen, the speed you whip up a meal can vary drastically depending on your skill level.

A Michelin-star chef, for example, will effortlessly crack an egg and create a flawless omelette in minutes. On the other hand, someone learning to cook might spend precious time Googling how to crack that same egg without making a mess.

The same concept applies to software development: a senior developer, well-versed in a particular technology stack, will breeze through coding challenges with confidence, while a junior developer might take considerably longer to tackle the same task. This variation makes it impossible to make development time the same across team members.

Now, imagine you’re in the kitchen again, but this time, you’ve meticulously planned your recipe only to find halfway through that you’re out of a key ingredient. Panic follows as you try to find a substitute, or worse, run to the store.

In software development, this is the same as discovering a critical bug or realizing that a requirement was missing during the planning phase. Just as your cooking plans can get messed up, project timelines can derail due to unforeseen issues, missing dependencies, or changing requirements. These unpredictable challenges are bound to happen, and no amount of hourly estimation can account for them accurately.

When teams try to convert story points to hours, it often leads to unrealistic deadlines and frustrated developers. Managers who cling to the idea of a precise time estimate often find themselves confused when a ‘quick fix’ turns into a marathon debugging session. The whole hassle leaves executives scratching their heads, wondering why the supposedly ‘30-minute pasta’ has taken an entire afternoon to prepare.

The Fibonacci Sequence: Agile’s Secret Spice

In the world of Agile, Fibonacci numbers hold a special place because they reflect how complexity escalates—not in a straight line but in an ever-widening spiral.

You’ve probably heard of Fibonacci in math class, but here’s why it’s essential in Agile estimation.

Imagine you’re preparing meals with varying levels of complexity. Making toast might be simple, while preparing a multi-course dinner requires juggling several dishes at once. The difficulty doesn’t just increase steadily; it multiplies.

Agile teams use Fibonacci numbers (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…) to capture this idea. Each number in the sequence roughly doubles the previous one, symbolizing how tasks become exponentially harder as they grow.

The Fibonacci scale naturally balances precision with realism, making it ideal for gauging effort and uncertainty. Like a dash of salt to your soup, Fibonacci numbers add clarity to Agile planning without overwhelming you with unnecessary detail.

Using the Kitchen Analogy

Cooking offers a relatable way to think about varying levels of effort without getting bogged down in hours:

• 0 Points: Washing a spoon. Effortless.
• 1 Point: Making a sandwich. Quick and easy.
• 2 Points: Boiling eggs. Minimal effort.
• 3 Points: Baking cookies. Moderate effort.
• 5 Points: Baking a simple cake. Manageable complexity.
• 8 Points: Cooking a full breakfast. Significant effort.
• 13 Points: Preparing a three-course meal. Overwhelming complexity.
• 21 Points: Hosting a large barbecue. Chaotic, stressful.

Notice something? You’re assessing effort and complexity, not stopwatch timing.

Keep Your Portions Small

Just like prepping ingredients separately, smaller tasks improve feedback loops, simplify integration, and reduce risks. Smaller stories lead to happier teams and clearer outcomes.

How Avanti Studio Simplifies Your Agile Kitchen

At Avanti Studio, our Scrum Masters are like seasoned culinary instructors; no micromanagement, just empowerment through clear estimation practices and smooth Agile ceremonies.

Ready to Stop Counting Hours?

Dropping hours doesn’t mean losing control—it means gaining clarity, boosting morale, and actually enjoying Agile. Toss the stopwatch and embrace effort-based estimation. Bon appétit!