In the battle of the estimates we compare different estimating techniques that Agile teams can use. I spent time sitting down and enjoying a adult beverage and brainstorming on what real life examples compare to this. It took a while to come up with something. Then I realized that comparing estimates is like comparing travel options when traveling to Europe. You have many options of travel and each one has its own benefit.

If you are looking at the travel options when you arrive in Europe you would get to choose between: air, train, car or sometime ferries as transportation options to different cities. Often when looking at air travel in the US it is by far the most efficient means of transportation over rail. However in Europe that isn’t the case as getting through security can almost eliminate any advantage over rail. Often trains have advantage over planes because the terminal tends to be in the heart of the city vs the airport being 30 miles out. Now if you had to travel a remote tourist destination then a car may be your best option as most rails and airports are not located in close proximity. You may be asking yourself on how this ties into picking the right estimating technique for your team. Well it comes down to where and what your team is most comfortable with. Much like modes of transportation, there are different varying results for estimating techniques to help further develop your team into rockstars. Check out our latest episode above where we give our own opinion on what our favorite technique is.