Effort Settings
Effort Settings in SimplifyQA allow teams to define, track, and manage the effort required for test execution and development tasks. These settings help teams estimate work, allocate resources efficiently, and track project progress using time-based or Agile estimation methods.
Key Effort Tracking Methods in SimplifyQA
1. Time-Based Effort Tracking (Hours)
This method tracks effort in actual time units such as hours, making it ideal for projects that require precise work-hour estimations.
How It Works:
Define effort estimates in hours when creating a test case, defect, or user story.
Track actual effort spent vs. estimated effort to monitor progress.
Generate effort reports to analyze team productivity and efficiency.
Use Case Example:
A test case is estimated to take 4 hours to execute.
The tester logs 3.5 hours after completing the test.
The system tracks the variance and updates the overall project effort report.
2. Agile Effort Tracking (Story Points)
Story points are an Agile estimation technique that helps teams estimate effort based on complexity rather than exact time.
How It Works:
Assign story points (e.g., 1, 2, 5, 8, 13, etc.) to user stories, test cases, or tasks.
Higher story points indicate more complex or time-consuming tasks.
Compare completed story points in each sprint to measure velocity (work completed per sprint).
Use Case Example:
A simple login functionality is assigned 2 story points.
A complex payment gateway integration is assigned 8 story points.
The team completes 30 story points in a sprint, helping plan future sprints more accurately.
Configuring Effort Settings in SimplifyQA
Go to Project Settings → Effort Settings.
Select Effort Type: Choose between Time-Based (Hours) or Story Points.
Time-Based: These settings help accurately calculate and manage effort, velocity, and resource planning across sprints and releases.
No. of Hours in a Day: Defines how many working hours are considered in a single day. Example: If your team works 8-hour days, set this to
8.No. of Days in a Week: Sets how many working days your team operates each week. Example: For a standard Monday–Friday schedule, set this to
5.
These values are important as they determine how total effort is distributed across your team’s available capacity.
Story Points: If the team estimates effort using Story Points, you can define how many hours each story point represents. This helps in converting Agile estimation into actual execution planning.
Example:
If 1 Story Point = 8 Hours
Then a task estimated at 2 Story Points would translate to 16 Hours of effort.
This mapping helps in:
Planning test executions more accurately
Aligning Agile estimations with real-time schedules
Best Practices for Effort Management in SimplifyQA
Use time-based tracking for detailed project timelines.
Leverage story points for Agile sprints and iterative development.
Regularly update actual effort to maintain accurate records.
Analyse effort reports to optimise resource allocation.
Effort Settings in SimplifyQA help teams estimate and track work using both traditional (time-based) and Agile (story points) methodologies. By accurately managing effort, teams can improve planning, execution, and project delivery timelines.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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