From Story Points to Reality: Reclaiming Honest Capacity Planning

Modern software teams have abandoned honest capacity planning—measuring actual available hours—in favor of abstract metrics like velocity and story points, resulting in perpetually missed deadlines. This article argues that a single spreadsheet with real allocation is the most truthful planning tool a team can use, representing the 'last honest conversation' in quarterly planning. Teams that master this fundamental arithmetic ship reliably; understanding it is essential for anyone managing software projects.