> Suppose ... you learn to triple the estimates given to you by engineers. However, ... he decides to triple all his time estimates as well. Now all of a sudden, you have inadvertently overestimated by a whopping 300%.
Is talking to the engineers an option here? This scenario sounds like a symptom of dysfunction. How would this happen with neither party talking about it with the other? What 'management' is being applied here if this can happen without being detected immediately?
This whole article seems to give a lot of credence to story points. And story points are a good idea. But they aren't a silver bullet for managing a software team. In fact, they aren't even a bullet. Talk to the engineer, ask what they are going to do. Maybe ask some questions about the bits that they don't seem to have thought about too hard.
Since there is nothing else that can be done, doing that must be enough. The story points will keep that process organised.
Is talking to the engineers an option here? This scenario sounds like a symptom of dysfunction. How would this happen with neither party talking about it with the other? What 'management' is being applied here if this can happen without being detected immediately?
This whole article seems to give a lot of credence to story points. And story points are a good idea. But they aren't a silver bullet for managing a software team. In fact, they aren't even a bullet. Talk to the engineer, ask what they are going to do. Maybe ask some questions about the bits that they don't seem to have thought about too hard.
Since there is nothing else that can be done, doing that must be enough. The story points will keep that process organised.