How to Use the Fibonacci Scale to Estimate Story Points

ProfilePicture of Tomás Gutiérrez Meoz
Tomás Gutiérrez Meoz
Software Architect
Card on a table with the Fibonacci sequence on them
Originally published on Feb 26, 2015Last updated on Mar 1, 2024

Key Takeaways

How do you use Fibonacci for story points?

We use Fibonacci story points to estimate the complexity of a project. With the Fibonacci sequence (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13), 0 represents the simplest tasks that take minutes to complete, whereas 13 represents the most complex projects that may take weeks or months.

Do story points have to be Fibonacci?

No, story points are a series of numbers that help estimate and measure how long a task or project will take. As long as you and your team can estimate project complexity using a shared method, that’s all that matters.

How many hours are 13 story points?

13 story points should not be estimated in hours, but multiple weeks or a month.