What is Planning Poker?
Planning Poker combines independent expert judgment with structured discussion. Each participant selects a card privately, every estimate is revealed at the same time, and the team talks through meaningful differences before agreeing on a final size.
How does Planning Poker work?
A typical session follows a simple loop that keeps meetings focused and fair:
- The facilitator presents a user story or backlog item.
- The team asks clarifying questions about scope, risk and dependencies.
- Everyone chooses a card in private.
- All cards are revealed together.
- Outliers explain their reasoning, then the team may vote again.
Planning Poker rules
Keep votes independent until reveal. Discuss the work, not the person. Prefer relative comparison over guessing hours. Repeat only when new information changes the estimate. Capture the agreed size and move on.
Planning Poker cards
Most teams use a modified Fibonacci deck: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and 21, plus optional cards for uncertainty or a break. The scale encourages clear separations between trivial, moderate and large work.
Why Fibonacci?
Fibonacci-style values grow non-linearly. That matches how uncertainty compounds as work gets bigger. A jump from 8 to 13 is more meaningful than pretending every increment is equally precise.
Planning Poker and Story Points
Planning Poker is the conversation format. Story Points are the unit. Together they help teams compare complexity, effort and risk without forcing false hour precision.
Sprint Planning and Backlog Refinement
Use Planning Poker in backlog refinement to prepare upcoming work, and in sprint planning when a few items still need a shared estimate. Short rounds keep both ceremonies efficient.
Remote Planning Poker
Distributed teams need the same fairness as an in-room table. A browser-based session should support:
- A shareable room link
- No installation
- Private votes until reveal
- Real-time participation
- Clear averages and consensus signals
- Mobile and desktop access