RTC Story Points Explained

 RTC (Rational Team Concert) is a collaborative software development tool that supports Agile development practices. One of the key features of RTC is the ability to estimate and track work using story points.

Story points are a measure of the relative effort required to complete a user story or a task. Story points are typically assigned during the planning phase of an Agile development cycle and are used to estimate the amount of work that can be completed in a given sprint or iteration.

The story point system is based on the Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc.). Each number in the sequence represents a story point value, and the values increase exponentially. This system helps to prevent teams from getting bogged down in trying to assign precise numerical values to work items and instead encourages them to focus on relative effort.

In RTC, story points can be assigned to user stories and tasks during the planning phase. The assigned story points are used to determine the amount of work that can be completed in a given sprint. During the sprint, the team tracks the amount of work completed and adjusts their estimates based on their progress.

RTC provides several tools for tracking storypoints, including burn-down charts and velocity charts. Burn-down charts show the amount of work remaining in a sprint and the progress made towards completing that work. Velocity charts show the amount of work completed in each sprint over time. These tools provide teams with visibility into their progress and help them identify areas where they may need to adjust their approach.

It's important to note that story points are not meant to be a precise measure of effort, but rather a relative measure. They are intended to provide teams with a way to estimate and plan their work, while still allowing for flexibility and adjustment as needed. Teams should also be aware that story points may not be comparable across different teams or projects, as they are specific to each team's approach and experience.

In conclusion, RTC supports Agile development practices by providing tools for estimating and tracking work using story points. Story points are a relative measure of effort and are used to estimate the amount of work that can be completed in a given sprint or iteration. By using story points, teams can plan their work and track their progress, while still allowing for flexibility and adjustment as needed