The go-to guide for turning Agile chaos into clarity
There are Agile books you read once and move on from.
And then there are books you read, highlight, dog-ear, re-read, and come back to when a sprint planning session goes off the rails.
Mike Cohn’s Agile Estimating and Planning is exactly that kind of book.
🤯 Why this book matters
If you’ve ever struggled with questions like:
- “Should we estimate in story points or hours?”
- “How do we measure progress without burning people out?”
- “How can I create a realistic roadmap when things constantly change?”
Then this is the book you need.
🔍 What you’ll learn
- The true purpose of estimation in Agile (hint: it’s not to predict the future perfectly)
- How to approach story points, ideal days, and team velocity without turning planning into a guessing game
- How to balance long-term planning with Agile adaptability
- Techniques for backlog grooming, prioritization, and release planning that actually make sense
- How to communicate estimates and plans to stakeholders with confidence — and credibility
📈 My personal experience
I’ve read and re-read this book because it delivers clarity that most teams desperately need.
As someone deep in product delivery management, estimation and planning are daily challenges — and this book gave me both the frameworks and the mindset to tackle them.
It helped me shift from “let’s just get through this sprint planning” to “let’s use planning as a real strategic tool.”
👩💻 Who should read Agile Estimating and Planning?
- Agile delivery managers and project leads
- Scrum Masters trying to bring structure to chaos
- Product managers building roadmaps under constant pressure
- Developers and tech leads who want to understand why they’re estimating, not just how
- Stakeholders who think “Agile = no deadlines” 😅
Whether you’re new to Agile or deep into delivery, this book will level up your planning game — and help your team plan smarter, not harder.
Have you read it? What’s your biggest estimation struggle right now?
Drop a comment or DM — let’s troubleshoot it together ⚙️📊
