How can you run a better planning poker session?

1 Set clear goals and rules

Before you start a planning poker session, make sure everyone knows the purpose, the scope, and the rules of the game. The purpose is to estimate the relative size of user stories, not the exact hours or days. The scope is the set of user stories that you want to estimate in the session, ideally prioritized by the product owner. The rules are the steps and roles involved in the session, such as who moderates, who explains, who votes, and how to resolve conflicts. You can use a standard scale of numbers, such as the Fibonacci sequence, or create your own based on your team's preferences.

2 Prepare and refine user stories

A planning poker session will be more effective and efficient if the user stories are well-written, clear, and testable. You can use the INVEST criteria to check the quality of your user stories: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. You can also use a backlog refinement meeting before the planning poker session to review and refine the user stories with the team and the product owner. This way, you can clarify any doubts, assumptions, or dependencies, and avoid wasting time during the estimation.

3 Encourage honest and independent voting

One of the benefits of planning poker is that it allows team members to express their opinions and perspectives without being influenced by others. To preserve this benefit, you should encourage everyone to vote honestly and independently, based on their own experience and knowledge. You can use online tools or physical cards to hide the votes until everyone has voted. You can also remind the team to respect each other's views and avoid arguing or criticizing. The goal is not to reach a consensus, but to understand the reasons behind the different estimates.

4 Facilitate constructive discussion

After everyone has voted, you should facilitate a constructive discussion to compare and contrast the estimates, and to reach a common agreement. You can ask the team members with the highest and lowest estimates to explain their reasoning, and invite others to share their insights or questions. You can use data, examples, or analogies to support your arguments, but avoid being too technical or detailed. You can also use a timebox to limit the discussion and avoid going in circles. If the team cannot agree on a single estimate, you can use an average, a range, or another voting round.

5 Review and adjust estimates

Once you have agreed on an estimate for each user story, you should review and adjust them as needed. You can use a velocity chart to track how many user stories or points your team can complete in a sprint, and compare it with your estimates. You can also use a burn-down chart to monitor your progress and identify any deviations or risks. If you find that your estimates are too high or too low, you can adjust them in the next planning poker session or during the sprint review. You can also use retrospectives to reflect on how to improve your estimation process and skills.

6 Have fun and learn

Planning poker is not only a tool for estimation, but also a way to have fun and learn from your team. You can use humor, creativity, and gamification to make the session more engaging and enjoyable. You can also use feedback, recognition, and rewards to motivate and appreciate your team. You can also use the session as an opportunity to learn new skills, share best practices, and discover new perspectives. Planning poker is not a one-time event, but a continuous practice that can help you grow as a team and as an agile practitioner.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?