Planning poker

Planning poker, also called Scrum poker, is a consensus-based, <a href="/facts/Gamification/yJDRqoWE">gamified</a> technique for estimating, mostly used for <a href="/facts/Timeboxing/hon8Q7DB">timeboxing</a> in <a href="/facts/Agile_software_development/LDaISBAW">Agile principles</a>. In planning poker, members of the group make estimates by playing numbered cards face-down to the table, instead of speaking them aloud. The cards are revealed, and the estimates are then discussed. By hiding the figures in this way, the group can avoid the cognitive bias of <a href="/facts/Anchoring_(cognitive_bias)/V793WguQ">anchoring</a>, where the first number spoken aloud sets a precedent for subsequent estimates.
Planning poker is a variation of the <a href="/facts/Wideband_delphi/q9cgINqd">Wideband delphi</a> method. It is most commonly used in <a href="/facts/Agile_software_development/LDaISBAW">agile software development</a>, in particular in <a href="/facts/Scrum_(development)/Ih3ufnVB">Scrum</a> and <a href="/facts/Extreme_Programming/UCeJIvhQ">Extreme Programming</a>. Agile software development methods recommend the use of Planning Poker for estimating the size of user stories and developing release and iteration plans. 
The method was first defined and named by James Grenning in 2002 and later popularized by <a href="/facts/Mike_Cohn/xYJdKz70">Mike Cohn</a> in the book Agile Estimating and Planning, whose company <a href="/facts/Trade_mark/B23H8IS0">trade marked</a> the term and a digital online tool.

Planning poker open-in-new

Planning poker