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Cantilever used to use hours estimates to measure the size of a task, but now uses Story Points, in the vein of the Agile Scrum methodology.

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Story points are a measure of the complexity and difficulty of a task. We use a range from 1 to 8, with fibonacci numbers:

• 1: A quick tweak that can be done easily without needing much planning or follow-up
• 2: A small task that requires a little bit of research or creative thinking
• 3: A larger task that will take some focused time and attention, plus potentially help from a teammate
• 5: A significant piece of work that may need more than one session to complete
• 8: A big task that involves a lot of moving parts, complexity, and research

The points describe the total effort by the whole company, not any one individual’s part in it. Designers/Devs are generally the ones holding tasks that carry story points so they can measure their efficiency by how many tasks they are completing on a week by week basis.

Story Points do not match any specific amount of time. They are a way that we compare work across multiple people in a relatively neutral way. Story points do not match any specific dollar rate and should not be directly tied to compensation. Each Cantilever Task involves many people to set it up and execute it so each person’s role is hard to measure.

Story Points are not an attempt to perfectly estimate, project, or understand work volume. They are deliberately vague and informal. The reality of work is that it is very hard to measure, and using a looser framework reflects the acceptance that no system is accurate so it’s better to go with something easy than trying for something perfect.

Generally speaking…

• The more points involved in a project, the more work it is.
• The more points we do in a week, the better for our business.

Team members should not accept a task without believing that the points are accurate.

If you are new to story points, we recommend going through this great guide from Atlassian:

What are story points in Agile and how do you estimate them?

Here is a key quote:

Story points reward team members for solving problems based on difficulty, not time spent. This keeps team members focused on shipping value, not spending time.