# Estimate with story points

> Size tasks in story points instead of priority in Scrum and Scrumban projects, set them four ways, and see how they add up in a sprint.

Source: https://priortasks.com/docs/agile/story-points/
Last updated: 2026-11-05

A story point is a relative size: how big a task is compared with the others, not how many hours it takes. A team that estimates the same way can then count what fits in a sprint.

> [!pro] Story points need Scrum or Scrumban
> They are part of the Scrum toolkit, which follows the **project owner's** plan. In Kanban and Standard projects, tasks keep their P1 to P4 priority. If the owner's plan does not include Pro, the points stay stored but are hidden. See [Choose Kanban, Scrum or Scrumban](https://priortasks.com/docs/agile/kanban-scrum-scrumban/).

## What you see

In a Scrum or Scrumban project, the size replaces the priority symbol on cards, rows and the board. It shows three bars, like the priority symbol, filled by size, with the number next to them:

- one bar up to 1 point, two bars up to 3 points, three bars up to 13 points;
- an exclamation mark in a square above 13 points: the story is too big and should be split (see [Split a story that is too big](https://priortasks.com/docs/agile/split-a-story/));
- empty bars when the task is not estimated yet.

Priority still exists and you can edit it in the task. Only its symbol gives way to the size.

## Set the points

- **In the task**, the **Story points** row offers cards for 0, ½, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and 21, and **Clear** to remove the estimate.
- **In the task editor**, the **Points** field is the same list as a dropdown.
- **In the quick-add line**, write the size in the title: `Fix the login form 5 pts`, `3 story points` or `sp 8`. Prior reads it and removes it from the title.
- **In Planning Poker**, accept the value the team agrees on. See [Estimate together with Planning Poker](https://priortasks.com/docs/agile/planning-poker/).

A value must be a multiple of 0.5, from 0 to 999. The deck in the task shows the usual scale, and a value outside it, such as 4, shows up as its own selected card. An assistant connected through MCP can read and write points too, and a numeric Linear estimate becomes points when you import a Linear project.

## How points add up

- The edit dialog of a sprint shows the total committed.
- Each sprint card shows "13 of 21 pts done", and how many tasks have no size yet.
- **Velocity** averages the points finished in your last three finished sprints. See [Plan cycles and sprints](https://priortasks.com/docs/agile/cycles-and-sprints/).
- The burn charts draw the points left or done each day. See [Read a sprint's burn chart](https://priortasks.com/docs/agile/burn-charts/).

## Good to know

- Points do not change a task's priority or its due date.
- Switching a project from Scrum to Kanban hides the points but never erases them.
- Viewers can see the size of every task, but only owners and editors can change it.