> Except that somebody will come along and just use it as a proxy for some unit they care about. And that will probably be time. Tada! You're right back where you started.

That can happen. But it doesn't have to. You can get adept at giving people the raw data and then reminding them that any interpretation is their data.

But there's something subtler at work. If you have a new version of the product ready every week that stakeholders look at, and if you allow them to adjust the plan weekly, then they will start to change the plan. As they recognize the feedback-driven nature of things, they stop pretending that their math on points can predict anything. Instead they use the points to control outcomes. E.g., by cutting scope and fending off nice-to-haves to make the dates they want.