Estimating... (Ahem...)
OK, so whether in a refinement session or planning, when it comes to estimating user stories I have a question...
Estimates (I use story points) are a consensus from the whole dev team. If one member of the dev team genuinely knows nothing about what needs to be done, i.e. a QA having no idea of the dev effort involved (or vice-versa), what is the point in that person being involved in estimating? This may even be on the back of a discussion about the user story but it may still leave that individual with no clue on the effort involved. What value does it add? Surely they are just completely guessing...
If one member of the dev team genuinely knows nothing about what needs to be done, i.e. a QA having no idea of the dev effort involved (or vice-versa), what is the point in that person being involved in estimating?
If people are unable or unwilling to collaborate, and to develop into more informed team members with a shared perspective, then there may be little point in trying to estimate the work which can be jointly taken on.
Please keep in mind that all estimates are guesses. ;-)
But to your question, if the team needs to deliver an item, surely there is development and testing involved? Does a team member with expertise in development have clear knowledge of what is needed for QA? Vice-versa?
The team should be estimating the entire size of the item, and not just their own area of expertise.
Do you think that there is a higher likelihood of team ownership of an item, if the entire team contributes to the refinement and estimation of it?