Understanding T-Shirt Sizing: A Guide To Finding Your Perfect Fit

T-shirt sizing is a project estimation and capacity planning tool that helps track the time and effort a task will take. It involves assigning each project or task a t-shirt size, from extra small to XXL, to represent the relative effort needed. This technique is often used by engineering and software development teams to gauge the complexity and scope of a task. It is a simple and flexible method that allows for quick adjustments as project requirements change.

T-shirt sizing in project management

T-shirt sizing is a project estimation tool that helps you track how much time or effort a task will take. Each task is assigned a T-shirt size, from Extra Small to XXL, to represent the relative effort required. This method simplifies the complex process of measuring the scale of tasks in project development. It is a quick and intuitive technique that provides clarity and helps teams make efficient decisions.

T-shirt sizing is particularly useful for agile teams that require quick, efficient, and collaborative decision-making. It is a form of relative estimation, which allows team members to think beyond the limitations of time. While traditional numerical story points estimation techniques are more suited for precise tracking, T-shirt sizing is ideal for initial, high-level estimations.

The benefits of T-shirt sizing include:

• Simplification of communication: The use of familiar terms (XS, S, M, L, XL) makes it easy for all team members to understand and contribute to the estimation process.
• Reduced intimidation: T-shirt sizes are less daunting than precise numerical values, creating a more comfortable environment for team members during the estimation process.
• Encouragement of relative thinking: T-shirt sizing focuses on relative sizing, allowing teams to compare tasks rather than getting fixated on specific time estimates or complexities.
• Flexibility and adaptability: T-shirt sizing provides a strategic overview of project demands, aiding resource allocation and long-term planning. It embodies the agile mindset, allowing for quick adjustments as project requirements evolve.
• Streamlined team discussions: T-shirt sizing fosters consensus on the scope of work, enhancing project management and ensuring clear understanding among all team members.

However, there are also some challenges to consider. T-shirt sizing may lack the precision required for detailed sprint planning, and different team members may interpret sizes differently, leading to inconsistent estimates if not well-defined. Additionally, there is a potential for oversimplification of complex tasks, resulting in an underestimation of the time and resources needed.

To implement T-shirt sizing effectively, it is crucial to establish clear definitions for each size, involve the entire team in the process, and keep the number of sizes limited to avoid confusion. It is also important to regularly review and adjust sizes as more information becomes available or project requirements change.

How to measure a t-shirt

T-shirt sizes are not standardised across manufacturers, so it is important to check the size chart before buying. When measuring a T-shirt, it is best to lay the garment on a flat, hard surface, and smooth out any creases. It is also important to use a flexible tape measure that is at least 36" long.

Neck to Shoulder

Measure from the middle of the neck to the end of the shoulder (where the sleeve starts).

Sleeve Length

Measure from the shoulder to the wrist.

Shoulder to Shoulder

Measure from one shoulder to the other.

Chest

Place the tape close under the arms and ensure the tape is flat across the back.

Waist

Measure across the waist area while the T-shirt is laying flat.

Hem

Measure from one side of the hem to the other.

Front Length

Measure from the highest point of the shoulder to the desired hemline.

Sleeve

At the widest point of the sleeve, measure across while laying flat.

It is important to measure twice, recording the measurement to the nearest 1/4 inch. Lying flat, measurements are generally doubled, so a small difference can be significant.

T-shirt sizing in Agile project management

T-shirt sizing is a project estimation and capacity planning tool that helps you visualise and track how much time or effort a task will take. It is a quick and intuitive way to estimate tasks without getting caught up in detailed and time-consuming estimation processes.

T-shirt sizing assigns each project or task a t-shirt size—from Extra Small to XXL—to represent the relative effort required. T-shirt sizing is a helpful tool for the entire team: project leads can quickly gauge team capacity, individual contributors can communicate their bandwidth and priorities clearly, and team members can understand who is doing what and by when.

How to use T-shirt sizing for Agile projects

Agile and Scrum teams initially popularized t-shirt sizing as a way to measure story points or planning poker—a way to estimate the effort or relative size of work during sprint planning. When the Scrum master begins a new sprint cycle, they pull tasks from the backlog until they hit a certain number of story points, ensuring the Scrum team has enough work to keep them busy during the sprint without overloading them.

T-shirt sizing for Scrum teams is a form of relative estimation. This is an alternative to the traditional, numerical story points estimation technique. Relative estimating allows team members to think in more dimensions—numbers are often associated with time, but t-shirt sizes can represent more complex ideas, including time, effort, and complexity.

6 steps to using T-shirt sizing for project estimation:

• Decide on your sizes: Before introducing T-shirt sizing to your team, decide on the sizes you want to use. Stick to Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large to begin with.
• Align on what each size represents: Ensure everyone understands what each size represents and provide common examples of a Small vs. Large project.
• Decide who assigns T-shirt sizes: Depending on your team structure, consider limiting who can assign T-shirt sizes or opening it up to the entire team.
• Assign T-shirt sizes to each initiative: Ensure each piece of work has an associated T-shirt size so that you and the team member understand how much effort that work represents.
• Track T-shirt sizes using a work management tool: Use a shared tool to gain at-a-glance insight into each team member’s workload.
• Use T-shirt sizing to gauge workload: By tracking this work, you can ensure team members aren’t getting burnt out.

T-shirt sizing pros and cons

T-shirt sizing is a project estimation technique that helps teams understand how much time and effort a task will take. It is a form of relative estimation that uses sizes such as XS, S, M, L, XL, and XXL to indicate the amount of work required. This method is often used by engineering and software development teams but can be applied to any team.

Pros

T-shirt sizing is a simple and creative approach that allows teams to make quick estimates, especially when dealing with a large number of items or tasks. It provides a more dynamic evaluation of the required work compared to numeric ratings and helps teams understand their tasks, priorities, and efforts without the need for strict deadlines. It is also a useful way to manage a large backlog of items, giving teams a general understanding of the total size and the effort required to complete them.

Cons

One of the main drawbacks of T-shirt sizing is that it is not always completely accurate. Numeric value estimations tend to be more precise, and T-shirt sizes are often converted to numeric values later in the process. It can be challenging to accurately compare the different sizes to each other, and ensuring relative size consistency can be difficult. T-shirt sizing provides rough estimates, so it may not be suitable for detailed project planning, setting deadlines, or holding teams accountable.

While T-shirt sizing has its limitations, it is still one of the best estimation techniques for many projects. It is particularly useful for providing preliminary estimates, managing large backlogs, and helping new teams get started with agile frameworks. With proper understanding and application, T-shirt sizing can increase a team's efficiency by providing faster and better estimates.

Practical examples of t-shirt sizing

T-shirt sizing is a project estimation and capacity planning tool that helps you track how much time or effort a task will take. This is done by assigning each project or task a t-shirt size, from Extra Small to XXL, to represent the relative effort required.

Example 1: Agile Software Development

Agile and Scrum teams often use t-shirt sizing to estimate the relative size or effort of features or user stories. For instance:

• XS (Extra Small): Adding support for a single payment method.
• S (Small): Integrating with popular payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe.
• M (Medium): Implementing the ability to handle recurring payments and subscriptions.
• L (Large): Building a custom payment gateway integration from scratch.
• XL (Extra Large): Developing a payment gateway that supports multiple currencies and international regulations.

Example 2: Content Creation

T-shirt sizing can be used for content projects as well. For example, at Asana:

• XS (Extra Small): A short blog article or social media post.
• S (Small): A medium-length article, such as the one on Asana's website explaining t-shirt sizing.
• M (Medium): A cross-functional content initiative with multiple pieces and a variety of stakeholders.
• L (Large): A comprehensive white paper or research report.
• XL (Extra Large): A large-scale content campaign with multiple assets and complex requirements.

Example 3: Engineering Projects

T-shirt sizing can be applied to engineering projects to estimate the size or complexity of tasks. For instance:

• XS (Extra Small): Minor bug fixes or small enhancements to an existing system.
• S (Small): Developing a simple mobile application with basic functionality.
• M (Medium): Designing and implementing a new feature within an existing software system.
• L (Large): Creating a complex machine learning model or a new software platform.
• XL (Extra Large): Developing a self-driving car system or a large-scale, mission-critical aerospace component.

Example 4: Marketing Campaigns

T-shirt sizing can help marketing teams plan and estimate the effort required for different campaigns:

• XS (Extra Small): Creating a social media ad campaign or a simple email marketing campaign.
• S (Small): Planning and executing a local event or a small-scale promotional campaign.
• M (Medium): Developing a new branding and positioning strategy for a product line.
• L (Large): Launching a new product line or a rebranding campaign for an established brand.
• XL (Extra Large): Running a Super Bowl ad campaign or a global marketing initiative.

These examples demonstrate how t-shirt sizing can be applied to various projects and tasks, providing a simple and intuitive way to estimate effort and complexity without getting caught up in detailed analysis.

Frequently asked questions