T-Shirt Sizes and Story Points: Great for Devs, Confusing for Everyone Else

Imagine dropping your car off at the mechanic and hearing, "That'll be 29 points." You would have no clue whether you were about to spend $50 or $5,000.

That's exactly how non-technical stakeholders feel when developers use abstract estimation techniques like story points or T-shirt sizes. While these approaches are incredibly useful for engineering teams, they often leave the rest of the business scratching their heads.

At StackUp, we are big believers in letting development teams work the way that suits them best - whether that means using Fibonacci sequences, T-shirt sizing, or even interpretive dance. These systems help devs break down complexity, identify risk, and move fast. But when it comes to communicating progress or timelines to the wider business, it is essential to bridge the gap.

Non-technical leaders do not need to make this a battle. Developers are often paid well for good reason - they solve problems the rest of us cannot see, using methods that may look strange from the outside. The key is not to replace these methods, but to complement them with clearer communication.

And for the developers: You do not need to give up your rituals. But when you pair your internal process with time-based context - something like "we think this will take about two weeks" - you build trust, improve collaboration, and prevent stakeholders from creating their own (usually wrong) assumptions.

Abstract estimation works. Just do not forget to translate. Everyone wins when communication is clear.