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Estimating With Story Points

On-Demand Video

Understand, Explain, and Create Great Estimates with Story Points

This on-demand video course shows you how to: 

  • Cut through the confusion of what story points are
  • Explain story points to your team AND stakeholders  
  • Create great estimates, even on teams with diverse skills, experience, or personalities 
  • Plan fixed-date and fixed-scope projects
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Group Pricing

Quantity Discount Price
10-24 10% OFF $269/license
25-49 15% OFF $255
50-99 20% OFF $240
100-249 25% OFF $224
250-499 30$ OFF $209
500+ 40% OFF $179

Got a Question?

If I don’t distribute all my codes, can I get a refund on the unused ones?

There’s no refund on unused codes, but remember that all licenses come with lifetime access and can be used at a later date.

How many licenses do I need?

Each license is valid for one person, and each user can use and reference the materials as often as they need. Licenses are not transferable. So after one person finishes the course, that license cannot be reassigned to someone else.

Can I pay with a purchase order or check?

Yes, you can if you are buying ten or more licenses. To arrange payment by check or purchase order, email Laura or call her at 720-890-6110.

Can I add additional licenses and still get the same price?

Discounts are based on the number of licenses purchased at the same time. Keep in mind that the codes you’ll receive on purchase do not expire. So to maximize savings, plan ahead for the needed quantity and then buy them at once.

About this Course

This on-demand video course gives you a solid understanding about what story points are, shows you how to avoid common mistakes, and helps you and your team use story points effectively. 

Each module coaches you through different aspects of using story points, and worksheets help to apply the lessons to your current projects. It works well as an onboarding resource for new employees, and it can also be used to help teams that have fallen into bad habits. 

What You Get When You Join

  • 40+ lessons on estimating with story points
  • Almost 4 hours of video content
  • Transcripts, worksheets, and audio files
  • Video captions included for all lessons
  • 1 x Presentation you can use to introduce estimating with story points to your team 
  • Quizzes to help the learning
  • 30 day no-fuss guarantee
  • Lifetime access to materials
  • 5  Scrum Alliance SEUs and 5 PDUs
  • Certificate and digital badge on completion of the course

Plus additional BONUS modules: 

BONUS MODULE #1 - Stakeholders and Story Points 

An entire module to help you introduce the concept of story points to stakeholders including: 

  1. What Stakeholders Need to Know about Points
  2. What Are Story Points and Why Can’t We Just Use Person-Days?
  3. Predicting Date and Cost Using Velocity
  4. Why You Can't Measure Productivity or Compare Teams with Points

BONUS MODULE # 2 - Planning with Story Points 

Now that you understand story points and can explain them to teams and stakeholders—what do you need to know about planning before you use them? In this extra module you’ll get 6 brand-new lessons that explain:

  1. The components of a plan
  2. Estimating what you don’t know
  3. Estimating velocity as a range
  4. Estimating velocity without data
  5. An introduction to fixed-date plans
  6. An introduction to fixed-scope plans

Why Train with Mountain Goat Software?

Mountain Goat Software has trained more than 9,000 agile professionals in Live Online certified classes and over 25,000 agile professionals in person certified classes, trained 100s of teams in private training, and issued more than 12,000 licenses for on-demand video training.

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We go beyond theory to provide real-world advice. Our trainers share up-to-date guidance about what is and isn’t working, and our video courses include techniques you can apply immediately.

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You get the best learning experience. You get access to unique interactive software for all our live, online classes, and all our courses are delivered in succinct lessons that are designed to make the learning stick.

Mike Cohn

These are the only courses designed by Mike Cohn, co-founder of the Scrum Alliance, and author of Succeeding with Agile, User Stories Applied, and Agile Estimating and Planning.

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You can expect the best customer service. Whether you have questions, or need help, our exceptional team is there to support you, and treat you like a member of the Mountain Goat family!

Plus...

Agile Mentors
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This course includes 12 months of access to the Agile Mentors Community.

The Agile Mentors Community is a place for agile practitioners around the world to collaborate in a safe, experiential learning space. In this private community, you will find lively discussions on a variety of agile topics such as agile leadership, user stories and the product backlog, transitioning to agile, and more.

Learn more about Agile Mentors

What People Are Saying

Justin Amore

The Godfather of Story Points has done it! Successfully putting together a one-stop course to teach me everything he does when working with teams. WOW! How can I not succeed now using them correctly and teaching others the right way?!
Justin Amore


PDUs, SEUs, & Certification

Certificate
5 PDUs

This course earns you {coursetype_pdus} PDU within the PMI.

5 SEUs

This course earns you 5 SEUs towards your CSP designation within the Scrum Alliance.

About the Instructor

Mike Cohn

Mike Cohn

Mike is CEO of Mountain Goat Software, and one of the industry’s most well-respected Certified Scrum Trainers. He is the author of User Stories Applied for Agile Software Development, Agile Estimating and Planning, and Succeeding with Agile. He is a co-founder and former board member of the Scrum Alliance, and a co-founder of the non-profit Agile Alliance, home of the Agile Manifesto.

With 20+ years of agile training experience, Mike has honed a talent for explaining agile concepts with clear illustrations and real-life examples. Participants enjoy his passion for teaching the agile methodologies in a relatable and digestible way. 

Scrum Certifications include: CSM, CST, CSPO, A-CSM, CSP-SM, CSP-PO

People

Who Should Take This Course?

This is a Beginner level course.

This is a core course for the following roles:

  • ScrumMaster
  • Coach

This is a recommended course for the following roles:

  • Analyst
  • Architect
  • Tester
  • Team Member
  • Database Admin
  • Designer
  • Product Owner
  • Programmer
Alycia Bayer Aras Geylani Lisa Sieverts Eugene Crooks Taylor Manes

Be included in our Agile Professional Directory

On successful completion of the course, you’ll earn a credential to show that you have been trained by Mountain Goat Software.

From there you can set up your exclusive profile in our Agile Professional Directory where you can let people know about your new skills.

This is only available when you choose Mountain Goat Software as your training company.

When you join you can:

  • Stand out in the agile industry
  • Showcase your Mountain Goat Software training
  • Be found by people searching for certified individuals
  • Let people know when you are available for new opportunities
  • Build connections based on your specific skill-sets
Visit the Directory

Course Outline

Why Use Story Points

If so many people struggle to estimate with story points - should we just abandon them? No. This module explains why it’s important to use story points, why time doesn’t work, and why we can get better at estimating.

What Story Points Are

This module helps you understand (and explain) exactly what story points are.

You’ll be introduced to estimating sequences such as Fibonacci and powers of two, and why those are good sequences. You’ll also see in detail how to get the team to understand exactly what type of estimate you’re going to create.

Creating Estimates

Once your team understands story points - you need to create your estimates. In this module, you’ll discover how to establish a baseline so that everyone knows what a 3 point, or an 8 point story looks like.

You’ll walk through estimating processes in detail, including Planning Poker® and affinity estimation. I’ll also explain when you should estimate, who should take part in estimating and when (if ever) you should re-estimate a story once work has started.

Improving Estimates

See how to avoid common mistakes that can make teams quit before they ever see success with story points. I’ll explain how to use triangulating to prevent anchoring and biased estimates.

You’ll learn coaching techniques to handle someone who refuses to budge on an estimate, and I’ll also share 5 ways to get better estimates, and 4 things to avoid when estimating.

Introducing Story Points to a Team

How you talk to your team about story points can make all the difference. Whether your team is resistant to using them, or has been using them incorrectly, this module shows you how to have those conversations in a way that makes teams more receptive to using story points (in the right way).

You’ll also get a presentation that you can use to train your teams, making it easy to coach them from good to great. 

Troubleshooting

Understand problems of using non-additive scales, know how to tell if you’re estimating too much (or not enough) of the product backlog, how to avoid estimate inflation, and whether or not bugs should have story points assigned.

BONUS MODULE: Stakeholders and Story Points

You need a different conversation to explain story points to stakeholders. Register now and get access to a bonus module that includes what stakeholders need to know about points.

This includes why they can’t use person days, and why you can’t measure productivity or compare teams with points. You’ll also see how to predict date and cost using velocity.

BONUS MODULE: Planning with Story Points

Now that you understand story points and can explain them to teams and stakeholders—what do you need to know about planning before you use them? In this extra module you’ll get 6 brand-new lessons that explain: 

  • The components of a plan
  • Estimating what you don’t know
  • Estimating velocity as a range
  • Estimating velocity without data
  • An introduction to fixed-date plans
  • An introduction to fixed-scope plans
Wrap Up

In the final module you’ll see an overview of the key lessons you’ve learned, with advice on where to go from here. Whether you’re about to start a new project, or are midway through delivery, you can apply what you’ve learned straight away. 

How does the content in this course compare to our other offerings? View a detailed comparison.

Got a Question?

General What payment methods do you accept?

You can register on our site and pay with a Visa, MasterCard or American Express card. For a group of 10 or more, contact Laura Cohn if you wish to be invoiced.

General How do I pay for a course for someone else?

During the checkout process, use your own payment details, your name and your email address to make the purchase. On completion of the purchase, you can then assign the course to your chosen recipient.

General Are your courses only for software developers?

Not necessarily. Each course has attendees from a variety of backgrounds, including from non-software fields. Mike’s passion is product development of all sorts, so many examples are software related, but no software development experience is required.

On-Demand Video How is the course delivered?

Video courses are delivered through streaming videos plus course materials. Once you join you will receive an email with full login and registration instructions. You will be automatically enrolled in the course and able to access the course immediately.

On-Demand Video Can I share the videos with my team or my group?

Each license is for one person. You cannot share the videos, audio files, worksheets, or transcripts with others. You can, of course, share what you’ve learned with others.

On-Demand Video What if the course isn’t right for me?

If you’re not happy, we’re not happy. We want you to feel confident about enrolling in our on-demand courses, so we offer a full, 30-day money-back guarantee. Just email us within the first 30 days, and we’ll give you a full refund.

On-Demand Video How long will I have access?

You have lifetime access. There are no recurring or subscription fees.

On-Demand Video What browsers are supported? Can I watch on my phone or tablet?

We support browsers that support HTML 5 such as current versions of Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox. The course also works great on modern iOS and Android devices.

On-Demand Video Can we watch as a group?

Yes, in fact we encourage you to do so. However, the course is licensed individually so each person watching needs to own a license. Think of it like a movie theater: If four of you go to a movie together, you each buy a ticket. If you do intend to watch as a group, you may want to take advantage of our group pricing.

On-Demand Video Do I get a certificate?

Upon completion of the course you get a certificate of completion and digital badge that can be displayed on social networks, etc...

On-Demand Video Does the video course have captions?

Yes, it includes English-language captions.

Course Is the course different from Mike’s Book: Agile Estimating and Planning?

Yes, this course is very different from Mike’s Agile Estimating and Planning book. That book was written in 2005. Estimating with Story Points goes much deeper into the process of creating good estimates and includes all that Mike and others have learned about estimating since then.

Course Is the course different from Mike’s Agile Estimating and Planning course?

Yes, this course is very different from Mike’s Agile Estimating and Planning course. That video course was created in 2012 and based largely on his book for 2005. Estimating with Story Points goes much deeper into the process of creating good estimates. It includes advice on important discussions you need to have with your team to have any hope of estimating well. It is also full of troubleshooting tips and advice on what to and not to do to help a team create better estimates.

Course Does the video course have captions in additional languages?

Yes, it includes captions in English, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Hindi, Dutch, Polish, and Portuguese.