---
title: How do Developers assign story points to Product Backlog items?
description: "Developers typically assign story points based on their collective knowledge and experience. Each [Product Backlog](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/a-scrum-artifact-that-consists-of-an-ordered-list-of-the-work-to-be-done-in-order-to-create-maintain-and-sustain-a-product-managed-by-the-product-owner/) item is given a story point [Value](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/value/) that represents the effort required to complete it relative to other items. For example, an item with a…"
url: "https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/docs/how-do-developers-assign-story-points-to-product-backlog-items/"
updated: "2024-12-19"
category: Good Practices / Velocity
---

# How do Developers assign story points to Product Backlog items?

Developers typically assign story points based on their collective knowledge and experience. Each [Product Backlog](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/a-scrum-artifact-that-consists-of-an-ordered-list-of-the-work-to-be-done-in-order-to-create-maintain-and-sustain-a-product-managed-by-the-product-owner/) item is given a story point [Value](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/value/) that represents the effort required to complete it relative to other items. For example, an item with a story point [Value](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/value/) of two is expected to take twice the work or time to complete as an item with a [Value](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/value/) of one.

The assignment of story points is not intended to be a precise measure of the actual time required to complete an item. Instead, it serves as a relative measure to help the team estimate effort and complexity. This approach allows the team to maintain a flexible and adaptive planning process, accommodating the inherent uncertainties in software development.