Planning Poker (also known as Scrum Poker or PlanningPoker) is a tool used by Agile and Scrum software teams to estimate the amount of time and effort needed to complete a sprint backlog item. To be more specific, it is a way for teams to discuss and estimate the work needed to complete a specific task or user story. It helps teams achieve more accurate and consensus-based estimates by leveraging the collective knowledge and expertise of team members.
Why Is It Called Planning Poker?
The reason it is called Planning Poker is because of the cards used by the team to estimate the work. These cards have numbers on them and resemble playing cards. They can
How Does Planning Poker Work?
Here is a rundown of how planning poker works:
Preparation
The team gathers in a meeting, typically during the sprint planning session, where user stories or tasks are presented for estimation. Each user story or task should be well-defined and include sufficient details for the team to understand what needs to be done. This phase of requirements is usually completed by a business analyst or product owner.
Estimation Process
Planning Poker involves using a deck of special cards, known as Planning Poker cards. These cards typically have numbers or Fibonacci sequence numbers (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, etc.) representing the relative effort or complexity of the work. The higher the number, the greater the effort or complexity. On-site teams will often use physical cards for this phase of estimation, while remote teams will use online apps on their computers or mobile devices to "play" their cards.
The team selects one user story or task to estimate at a time. The Scrum Master will share the description or user story, and the team discusses any ambiguities or questions to ensure a shared understanding. It is very helpful for a Product Owner or business analyst to be present during this meeting to answer any outstanding questions the developers might have.
Individual Estimation
Each team member privately selects a Planning Poker card that represents their estimate for the effort required to complete the user story or task. They should base their estimate on factors such as complexity, risk, technical challenges, or previous experience with similar work.
After each team member has chosen a card, the team reveals their cards simultaneously. This approach prevents bias or influence from others' estimates and encourages independent judgment. This allows for and encourages further discussion about estimation differences.
Discussion and Clarification
If there is a significant difference in estimates, the team engages in a discussion to understand the reasoning behind each estimate. This back and forth dialogue allows team members to share their perspectives, knowledge, and assumptions. The goal is to reach a shared understanding and converge on a consensus estimate.
Repeat and Refine
The team repeats the estimation process for each user story or task. This process continues until the team feels confident in their estimates for all items in the sprint backlog.
Once a consensus is reached for each item, the estimates are recorded and used to guide the Scrum Master in sprint planning and prioritization. These estimates help the team determine how much work they can commit to in the upcoming sprint. The Scrum Master will then plan the sprint accordingly.
Planning Poker promotes transparency, collaboration, and a shared understanding among development team members. It avoids bias and encourages active participation from all team members.
