ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level v4.0 — Question 64

Consider an estimation session in which a six-member Agile team (Mempb1, ..., Memb6) uses the planning poker technique to estimate a user story (in story points). The team members will use a set of cards with the following values: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21. Below is the outcome of the first round of estimation for this session:

Memb1 = 3 Memb2 = 3 Memb3 = 3
Memb4 = 21 Memb5 = 3 Memb6 = 1

Which of the following answers BEST describes how the estimation session should proceed?

Answer options

• A. The final estimate of the user story in story points is determined by applying the three-point estimation technique with the following input values: most optimistic estimate = 1, most likely estimate = 3, and most pessimistic estimate = 21.
• B. Further estimation rounds should be performed until all team members will pick the card having the same value: this value will represent the final estimate of the user story in story points.
• C. The final estimate of the user story in story points is determined by calculating the average value between the most optimistic estimate of 21 story points (Memb4) and the most pessimistic estimate of 1 story point (Memb6).
• D. Memb6 and Memb4 which have produced the most pessimistic and the most optimistic estimates respectively, should explain the reasons of their choices to stimulate a discussion between all members before proceeding to another estimation round.

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct answer is D because it encourages team members to discuss their differing estimates, which can lead to a better understanding of the user story and potentially align their views. Options A and C suggest mathematical approaches that do not foster discussion, while B simply calls for more rounds without addressing the underlying reasons for discrepancies in estimates.