Story point unit is a mistake

Looking for the meaning of "Story Point" on the internet:

• "estimate the relative size and complexity of user stories or tasks within a project."
• "estimate the effort needed to complete items in the product backlog"
• "Teams assign story points relative to work complexity, the amount of work, and risk or uncertainty. Story points are not based on time but rather on the difficulty level of the story..."

While it seems very clear at first, but think about it: In essence, "story points" provide a rough estimate of a task's size, encompassing:

• effort (or amount of work)
• complexity

However, there are two significant issues with this approach:

1) Story point has no meaning for Manager: Managers typically prioritize knowing how much TIME (or budget) a task will take rather than considering effort or complexity. A simple 1-story-point task may take 3 days because it involves waiting for processes, while a complex 3-story-point task might be completed in 2 hours by an expert.

2) Story Point unit is inconsistent: "Story point" combines "effort" and "complexity" under the assumption that they are proportional, which isn't always the case. Given the task: writing "Hello World" 1000 times on paper is low in complexity but high in effort. Moreover, individual proficiency greatly influences both effort and complexity. The same task might be simple and effortless for an expert but complex and take a lot of effort for an amateur.

So what is a better alternative?

My recommendation

Given the management's primary focus on time, I recommend a more straight forward approach: estimating TIME directly instead of using the abstract "story points". If a team estimates a task will take 1 day, then let's label it as "1 day." In cases with uncertainty, where a task might take anywhere from 1 to 5 days, we opt for a 5-day estimate when uncertainty is high.

This time estimate reflects the most likely duration for the task when handled by the designated person or team, assuming full concentration. Crucially, this estimate should be provided by the individuals responsible for executing the task.

By shifting to a time-based estimation approach, we align better with management's needs, promote clarity, and simplify the understanding of task requirements.