Loading
A unit of relative size: this is about twice that. Points deliberately avoid hours, because people estimate relative size far better than they estimate duration.
They are only meaningful within one team. A five here and a five elsewhere have no relationship, and comparing them is the most common misuse.
Forecasting. Once a team has a few sprints of history, its average throughput in points predicts what it can take on — not precisely, but usefully.
That is the whole benefit. Points are an input to a capacity conversation, not a measure of anything on their own.
No. They are relative size, and converting them to hours removes their only advantage.
No. Scales are team-local; comparing them ranks a coincidence.
Never. The moment they are, they inflate and stop forecasting anything.
Half an hour with your own data usually saves reading three of these. The guides will still be here afterwards.