Fibonacci Sequence

Author

Sohrab Salimi

Reading time

1 Minutes

Definition of the Fibonacci Sequence:

Invented as early as the 12th century by Leondardo Pisano, the Fibonacci Sequence is an infinite mathematical sequence in which each number is formed by the sum of the two previous numbers:

1
2
3
5
8
13
21
etc.

Thus, the intervals between the numbers become larger and larger as the numbers themselves become bigger.
The Fibonacci sequence is sometimes also called the golden section or golden spiral, but that's not completely right, since it differs from this by the alternating deviation of the quotients.

Use of the Fibonacci sequence:

Often teams use the Fibonacci sequence in Planning Poker to estimate workload. The numbers are relative and have no fixed unit of measurement underlying them. In addition, due to the increasing distance to the previous and following number, a good estimation of both very small and very large stories is given.

Advantages of the Fibonacci sequence:

Creation of a benchmark/standard for estimating work.
More accurate relative estimates.

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Sohrab Salimi

Scrum Academy GmbH

Sohrab is a long-standing Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) and CEO of the Scrum Academy GmbH based in Cologne. He is a trained medical doctor and worked for Bain & Company as a consultant and as a CIO at SE-Consulting, among others, before founding the Scrum Academy. As a consultant and trainer, he has been supporting companies from a wide range of industries for over a decade on topics related to agile transformation, innovation and organizational development.

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