PMP · Question #1001
During the initial stage of a project, the team estimated activities for the next iteration in story points. It was agreed that each story point would be assumed to be equal to one day of effort durin
The correct answer is B. Break down the larger activities into smaller ones.. The project manager should address the problem of large, ambiguous activity estimates by breaking them down into smaller, manageable tasks to enable better planning and execution.
Question
During the initial stage of a project, the team estimated activities for the next iteration in story points. It was agreed that each story point would be assumed to be equal to one day of effort during project execution. There are some activities estimated as two story points and others estimated as 100 story points. What should the project manager ask the team to do next?
Options
- ANegotiate the estimation so it gets smaller.
- BBreak down the larger activities into smaller ones.
- CResize the story points.
- DExecute the smaller estimated activities.
How the community answered
(36 responses)- A8% (3)
- B75% (27)
- C3% (1)
- D14% (5)
Why each option
The project manager should address the problem of large, ambiguous activity estimates by breaking them down into smaller, manageable tasks to enable better planning and execution.
Negotiating to make estimates smaller without breaking down the underlying work does not address the fundamental issue of poorly defined or excessively complex activities.
Activities estimated at 100 story points are indicative of a lack of clarity and detail, making them too large and undefined for effective planning and tracking within an iteration. Breaking down larger activities into smaller, more granular ones allows for more accurate estimation, better understanding of the work, and improved ability to manage and track progress within an agile framework.
Resizing story points globally without first breaking down large activities means the problem of vague, oversized tasks persists, just with a different numerical label.
Executing smaller estimated activities first does not resolve the inherent risk and uncertainty associated with the significantly larger, ill-defined activities that remain in the plan.
Concept tested: Agile estimation, breaking down work items
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/agile-practice-guide
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Fatima Z.May 19, 2026B is the answer, and here is your sticky hook: think Big Stories Balloon, so Break them Small. A 100 point story is a monster hiding risk, and the rule of thumb is anything over a handful of points should be sliced into bite sized pieces so the team can actually chew through it in one iteration.
Orla P.Jun 5, 2026B is correct here because a 100-point story is a red flag that the work is too large to estimate reliably and needs decomposition before the iteration kicks off. Curious though, at what point threshold do most of you push back on breaking stories down, or is it more about the spread between the smallest and largest estimates on the board?
Wei W.Jun 6, 2026Agree on the red flag, but the threshold question is a bit of a trap because even a 21-point story can be too large if the team cannot articulate a clear acceptance path, so I push back the moment we cannot confidently answer how we will know it is done.
Nina C.May 29, 2026Saw this on my exam last month and picked B. When a story point estimate hits 100, that is a red flag the activity is too big for one iteration and needs to be broken down, which is why B is correct over the others.
Fatima Z.May 31, 2026Spot on, and I tell my study group to remember SP100 as SPicy 100, because a hundred points means the story is too hot for one iteration, so chop it up before it burns your sprint.
Wei W.Jun 11, 2026B is correct. A 100-point story is a red flag for hidden dependencies and risk.
Orla P.Jun 14, 2026Agree on B, and the practical move is to split that 100-pointer into smaller stories before sprint planning so the risk surfaces early instead of mid-sprint.