What is Planning Poker?
Planning poker is a consensus-based estimation technique used in agile software development. It combines expert opinion, analogy, and disagreement to create accurate estimates for user stories and features.
How It Works
Team members select cards representing their estimates for the effort required to complete a user story. Cards typically use the Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21) to reflect the uncertainty in larger estimates.
The Process:
- 1Present the Story:The product owner or scrum master explains the user story
- 2Ask Questions:Team members clarify requirements and assumptions
- 3Estimate Privately:Each member selects a card without revealing it
- 4Reveal Simultaneously:All cards are shown at once
- 5Discuss Differences:Focus on the highest and lowest estimates
- 6Re-estimate:Repeat until consensus is reached
Benefits of Planning Poker
✓ Reduces Anchoring
Prevents the first estimate from influencing others
✓ Encourages Discussion
Differences in estimates lead to valuable conversations
✓ Engages Everyone
All team members participate in the estimation process
✓ Improves Accuracy
Collective wisdom often beats individual estimates
Getting Started
To run your first planning poker session:
- →Gather your development team (3-9 people works best)
- →Prepare your user stories with clear acceptance criteria
- →Choose your estimation scale (we recommend Fibonacci)
- →Start with a simple story to calibrate the team
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Don't discuss estimates before revealing
This defeats the purpose of avoiding anchoring bias
Avoid turning estimates into time commitments
Planning poker estimates relative complexity, not precise duration
Don't average different estimates
Use discussion to understand the differences and reach true consensus
Next Steps
Ready to put these concepts into practice? Start your first planning poker session and experience the benefits of collaborative estimation.
🚀 Try it yourself!
Our free planning poker tool makes it easy to run sessions with your team, whether you're co-located or distributed.
Start a Session