Sprint 007 plan
This is my plan for the next two weeks.
Crab thoughts
In both of the previous two sprints, I seriously overestimated what I could deliver.
In this sprint, I wanted to set the target as "finish the remaining writing, and integrate the scene into the game." That would be so great: we could release the Analyst version on Valentine's Day.
However: I don't think I can get that done in the time available. What I think I can get done is the first part, finishing all the writing. Integration into the scene will have to happen in the next sprint.
That means that – if all goes to plan – in two weeks, there'll be another test scene release to Operators+. At the end of Feb we'll release a working version of the scene for Analysts+ to play. (That version will be released to everybody else in mid-March.)
I hope that's okay. It's two weeks slower than what I wanted to announce, but although I can't promise never to be wrong about my time estimates I do promise never to bullshit you about my time estimates.
Work schedule
Here's my plan, click to embiggen it:
Objectives
I've tried to be more granular about the actual tasks. The numbers in brackets is my estimate of the story points needed to complete the task.
[T1] Balcony branch: fix dice rolls (2)
[T2] Balcony branch: add Swedish subtitles (1)
[T3] Balcony branch: mutual satisfaction path (8)
[T4] Balcony branch: unsatisfied Max path (8)
[T5] Balcony branch: unsatisfied Kate path (8)
[T6] Balcony branch: populate TBDs (8)
[T7] Bed branch: mutual satisfaction path [8]
[T8] Bed branch: unsatisfied Max path [8]
[T9] Bed branch: unsatisfied Kate path [8]
[T10] Afterglow scene [8]
[T11] Hero Headers: publish new test version for user feedback [1]
Total story point estimate: 68
Comments (8)
I obviously have no idea how much work these tasks actually entail, but the fact that they are all either 1, 2, or 8 story points suggests you might want to try and see if they can be broken up into smaller subtasks.
Hey ammut, thanks for this, your advice in this area is always useful. I'm trying to visualise Story Points as pomodoros, with 8 being a full day's (focused) work. In previous sprints I tended to grossly overestimate how much I could write in a day, so I tried to be more accurate this time: if it doesn't work I'll try your advice and split it down even further. (The downside of that seems to be that planning will take longer, but if it makes overall delivery shorter/more accurate then it's probably worth it)
Also, just a suggestion. When you set a goal, start cutting it in half. And it might be more realistic than always overestimating and then apologizing. Adapt, Adjust, and Overcome.
We've been learned to give an initial estimate, then triple the amount of time needed. The initial estimate is if everything goes smoothly, which it seldom does, while tripling it gives you plenty of time to finish the task if something goes bad.
You could still plan to release the updated game on Valentines day, Wherever Status it is at. We'd appreciate seeing the update even if it isn't perfect or where you want it. We do understand it is a growing work in progress. Having those releases at varying points would help us give you better feedback too. Just my thoughts.
I'd love to, but I don't think we'll even start the integration until the next sprint. Sorry. :-(
That header image makes me wonder if there might be *extreme high-end* escort work available to us.
Great idea! Victoria will definitely enjoy designing the dresses for that. :-)