What is planning poker?

Planning poker is a fun and effective way for software development teams to estimate the effort or complexity of tasks, especially in Agile environments. It involves the whole team, making sure everyone’s expertise and insights are taken into account, and it helps avoid the biases and inconsistencies that can mess up traditional estimation methods.

Here’s how it works: each team member gets a set of cards, usually numbered in a Fibonacci sequence to represent increasing complexity. The Product Owner or facilitator presents a user story or task, giving all the necessary details to make sure everyone understands what’s being estimated.

Everyone then discusses any uncertainties, and each person privately picks a card that reflects their estimate of the effort required. On the count of three, everyone reveals their cards at the same time, keeping things fair and preventing any one person from swaying the others.

If the estimates are all over the place, you then talk through the differences. This often helps uncover hidden assumptions or complexities that might have been missed. After discussing, you vote again, and this process continues until you reach a consensus.
If the estimates are all over the place, you then talk through the differences. This often helps uncover hidden assumptions or complexities that might have been missed. After discussing, you vote again, and this process continues until you reach a consensus.

Planning Poker is great because it makes sure everyone gets a say, no matter their role or experience level, and it cuts down on biases like anchoring.

The discussions that come out of these sessions help build a better understanding of the tasks, leading to more accurate estimates and getting everyone on the same page. While it’s typically used to estimate time or effort, you can also use Planning Poker to gauge complexity or risk.

Why is planning poker important for Product Managers?

Planning Poker isn’t simply a technique; it’s a strategic approach to estimation that empowers teams and fosters successful development outcomes. 

Here’s how planning poker can benefit your development process:

More accurate estimates

Planning poker helps your team brainstorm and dissect each task to uncover potential complexities. This collective intelligence results in far more realistic estimates than solo efforts or top-down guesswork.

You’ll get clearer estimates that you can confidently communicate to stakeholders, keeping everyone happy.

Stronger team collaboration

Planning poker isn’t just about numbers, it’s about teamwork. Everyone gets to discuss the tasks, share their insights, and build a consensus. This creates a sense of ownership – no more feeling like estimates are dictated from above.

Plus, those “aha!” moments during discussions can spark creative solutions and improvements you might have missed otherwise.

Proactive risk management

Sometimes estimates differ wildly, and that’s a good thing! It means someone spotted a potential risk or tricky part of the task that others might have overlooked. Planning poker helps you uncover these hidden gremlins early on, so you can deal with them before they cause chaos down the line.

Maybe it’s a missing dependency, a need for more user research, or an unfamiliarity with a particular technology. Whatever it is, bringing it to light early paves the way for proactive solutions and smoother development cycles.

Transparency

Planning poker is an open book. Everyone sees how estimates are made, fostering trust and understanding. Plus, it creates a clear record of the rationale behind each estimate, which is super handy for future reference.

Being able to revisit an initiative months later and instantly understand the thinking behind the original estimates can be invaluable.

Alignment with Agile methodologies

Planning poker aligns seamlessly with Agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban, which emphasize iterative development and collaboration. Its structured yet adaptable approach supports Agile principles by enabling teams to refine estimates throughout the project based on evolving priorities and new information.

If your team embraces Agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban, Planning Poker aligns excellently with that iterative, collaborative approach. Estimates can be revisited and refined as you go, so your plans stay flexible and responsive to changes.

Adjusting priorities mid-sprint is no problem, as your team can quickly re-estimate their tasks as new information and feedback comes in.

Smarter decisions and better outcomes

With clear, team-built estimates as your foundation, you can make strategic decisions about project scope, resource allocation, and timelines. You can balance the workload more effectively, keep your team from burnout, and set expectations that are actually achievable.

This not only keeps your product on track but also boosts team morale as they deliver higher-quality results without wasting time and effort.

What are common challenges with Planning Poker and how can you overcome them?

While Planning Poker offers numerous benefits, it also comes with its set of challenges. Understanding these challenges and how to address them can help teams make the most of this estimation technique.

Challenge: Dominant personalities

In some teams, a few louder voices can dominate the discussion, influencing the rest of the team’s estimates and leading to biased results.

Solution: Try anonymous voting where everyone reveals their estimates at the same time. This way, everyone’s opinion counts equally. Having a neutral facilitator can also help keep things fair and ensure everyone gets a chance to speak.

Challenge: Lack of consensus

Getting everyone to agree on an estimate can be tricky, especially when there’s a mix of experience levels.

Solution: If estimates are all over the place, encourage a discussion where everyone explains their thinking. This helps clear up misunderstandings and brings hidden assumptions to light. If you’re still stuck, break down the task further or do some extra research.

Challenge: Estimation fatigue

Too many estimation sessions can wear people out, leading to less accurate estimates and lower engagement.

Solution: Keep sessions short and sweet to avoid burnout. Break them into manageable chunks and schedule regular breaks to keep everyone fresh. Make sure each session covers a reasonable amount of tasks without overwhelming the team.

Challenge: Inconsistent participation

Inconsistent attendance or participation from team members can result in unreliable estimates and a lack of collective input.

Solution: Schedule sessions when everyone can join, and make attendance a priority. If someone can’t make it, consider rescheduling or catching them up later to ensure their input is included.

Challenge: Misunderstanding of complexity

People might have different interpretations of how complex a task is, leading to varied estimates.

Solution: Before diving into estimates, ensure everyone has the same information. Use clear and concise task descriptions, providing context so everyone’s on the same page. Encourage questions and clear up any confusion before estimates begin. This shared understanding helps ensure everyone approaches the task from the same perspective.

Challenge: Overly detailed discussions

Sometimes discussions can veer off track down rabbit holes, wasting valuable time and delaying the process. 

Solution:  Have a facilitator who can keep things focused and moving forward. Set time limits for discussions to avoid getting sidetracked on unrelated topics. If a deep dive into a specific issue is necessary, take it offline and address it separately so it doesn’t hold up the entire session.

Challenge: Inadequate preparation

Lack of prep can lead to inefficient estimation sessions where team members don’t have enough info to give accurate estimates.

Solution: Make sure all tasks are well-defined and prepared beforehand. Provide necessary documentation or background info beforehand, so everyone comes to the session ready.

Challenge: Misalignment with stakeholders

If your stakeholders have different expectations than the team, it can lead to conflicts and unrealistic expectations. 

Solution: Involve them in the Planning Poker sessions or at least keep them informed about the process and results. Regular communication helps align their expectations with the team’s estimates and reasoning, building trust and keeping everyone on the same page.

Challenge: Inflexible estimation scale

Using a rigid estimation scale might not always fit the diverse range of tasks the team encounters.

Solution: Be flexible and stay open to adjusting your scale to better suit your team’s needs. While the Fibonacci sequence is common, you might find T-shirt sizes or your own custom scale works better. Pick a scale that aligns with the complexity and nature of the tasks you’re looking at.

Challenge: Over-reliance on estimates

Teams may become overly reliant on estimates, treating them as fixed commitments rather than flexible guidelines.

Solution: Remind everyone that estimates are just that – estimates. They should guide you, not bind you. Encourage flexibility and continuous improvement, allowing estimates to be revisited and adjusted based on new info and changing circumstances.

By tackling these challenges head-on, you can turn planning poker into an effective and efficient tool for your team. This way, you’ll benefit from a more accurate, collaborative, and transparent estimation process, leading to better planning and smoother execution in your development work.

How to run a planning poker session

Implementing Planning Poker effectively involves several steps that ensure a smooth and productive estimation process. You might want to consider using digital tools, especially if your team is remote. Tools like PlanningPoker.com or Planning Poker for Trello can streamline the process and then you can record your estimates in ProdPad.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to keep your Planning Poker sessions running smoothly:

1. Gather the team: Assemble your A-Team. Get everyone involved who will be working on the project, such as developers, testers, designers, and any other relevant roles. A diverse group ensures all aspects of the tasks are considered.  Choose a facilitator, like the Scrum Master or Product Owner, to keep things moving and guide the discussion.
2. Prepare the cards: Hand out Planning Poker cards to everyone. These can be physical cards with numbers or digital versions using tools like PlanningPoker.com, Jira, or Trello. The cards typically follow a sequence like Fibonacci (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc.) but you can use a different scale if that works better for your team.
3. Explain the process: Briefly explain what planning poker is and how it works for anyone who’s not done it before. Make sure everyone understands the importance of their participation and that voting is anonymous to reduce bias. Go over the ground rules, such as how to discuss estimates, handle disagreements, and keep the conversation focused and respectful.
4. Define the tasks: The Product Owner or facilitator presents each user story or task to the team. Provide a clear description, including the objectives, acceptance criteria, and any relevant context. Allow team members to ask questions and ensure everyone has a common understanding of the task before moving on to estimation.
5. Vote: Ask each team member to secretly select a card that represents their estimate of the effort required for the task. On the count of three, everyone reveals their cards simultaneously.
6. Discuss: If the estimates vary significantly, facilitate a discussion to understand the reasons behind the differences. Encourage team members with high and low estimates to explain their reasoning. Use the discussion to address any discrepancies and get everyone on the same page about the task.
7. Revote if needed: After the discussion, ask the team to vote again. You might need to do this a few times until the estimates converge and you reach a consensus.
8. Record the Results:  Record the final estimates along with any important points from the discussion. Update the Idea canvas in ProdPad with the final estimates.
9. Reflect and improve: After a few planning poker sessions, hold a retrospective meeting to gather feedback from the team and adjust the process to continuously improve it.

Who is responsible for Planning Poker?

Planning Poker is most effective when everyone collaborates and knows what’s going on, and designated roles can help ensure a smoother and more efficient estimation process.

Here’s a quick rundown of who does what during a planning poker session:

• Scrum Master: Typically acts as the facilitator, ensuring the session runs smoothly and stays on track. They help manage the flow of discussions, encourage participation from everyone, and handle any conflicts that come up.
• Product Manager: Often works alongside the Product Owner (that is, if you’re not also the Product Owner and are a hybrid Manager/Owner as many of us are) and Scrum Master. You’re there to provide context about the product’s goals and priorities, ensuring that the estimates align with the overall strategy. You can also help clarify questions about the tasks and provide insights into the broader business implications.
• Product Owner: Presents the user stories or tasks to the team. They provide all the necessary details and context, answer questions, and ensure the team understands what they’re estimating.
• Development Team: This includes developers, testers, designers, and other technical staff. They are the primary participants in Planning Poker, as their job is to provide independent estimates based on their expertise and engage in discussions to reach a consensus.
• Stakeholders (Optional): You might want to bring other internal or external stakeholders into your sessions occasionally. They can provide additional context or help ensure the estimates align with business priorities. Their involvement can help bridge any gaps between the development team and business expectations.

By clearly defining and embracing these roles and responsibilities, you can ensure that your planning poker sessions are productive and beneficial for your team’s planning and estimation efforts.

How can ProdPad help with Planning Poker?

ProdPad offers a suite of features that make Planning Poker more efficient and effective for your product management process.

Here’s how ProdPad can enhance your Planning Poker sessions:

• Detailed task descriptions: ProdPad allows you to create and store detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and all necessary documentation in one place. This central repository ensures that everyone on the team has access to the same information, facilitating clear and comprehensive task definitions before the estimation process begins.
• Customizable and Flexible: ProdPad allows for the customization of estimation scales and supports various methodologies, whether you prefer using Fibonacci sequences, T-shirt sizes, or custom scales. This flexibility ensures that the Planning Poker process can be tailored to fit your team’s specific needs.
• Real-Time Collaboration: With ProdPad, you can collaborate in real time, making it easier for remote or distributed teams to participate in Planning Poker sessions. The platform supports threaded discussions and comments directly on user stories, helping team members clarify details and ask questions as needed.
• Task Prioritization and Backlog Management: ProdPad’s prioritization features, such as the Impact vs. Effort chart, help you identify the most valuable tasks to focus on. You can prioritize tasks based on business value, customer impact, and team capacity, ensuring that the most critical tasks are estimated and tackled first​. The platform also offers a robust backlog management system, making it easy to organize, prioritize, and adjust tasks based on the latest estimates and business needs.
• Visualization and Reporting: ProdPad’s roadmap feature allows you to visualize how tasks and user stories fit into your overall product strategy and timelines. By integrating Planning Poker estimates, you can create more accurate and realistic roadmaps that reflect your team’s capacity and effort. Customizable reports can be generated to share with stakeholders, providing transparency and insight into the planning process.
• Continuous Improvement: ProdPad supports continuous improvement by allowing teams to capture feedback and learnings from each Planning Poker session. This feedback can be used to refine the estimation process over time. Additionally, historical data from previous sessions can be analyzed to improve estimation accuracy and efficiency.
• Integrations: ProdPad integrates with popular development tools like Jira, Trello, and Asana, ensuring that estimates and user stories flow seamlessly between ProdPad and your development environment. This integration helps keep everything in sync and streamlines your workflow.
• AI Assistance: ProdPad’s AI features can help generate roadmap initiatives and key results, providing suggestions that align with your vision and objectives. This AI support can speed up the planning process and help ensure that all tasks are well-defined and ready for estimation.

By leveraging these features, ProdPad makes Planning Poker sessions more effective, helping you achieve accurate estimates, better planning, and enhanced team collaboration.