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What is Planning Poker?

Planning poker, also called Scrum poker, is a gamified technique for estimating tasks used by agile development teams.

The game loops through these steps for each story the team wants to estimate:

  1. Step 1: Understanding your cards

    Each player gets the same deck. Pointly’s default Fibonacci deck includes 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, plus ? and a coffee break card. Higher numbers mean more effort or uncertainty.

  2. Step 2: Story reading

    The facilitator presents a user story or task so everyone shares the same starting context before estimating.

  3. Step 3: Team discussion

    The team talks through scope, risks, and edge cases. Clarify anything ambiguous before anyone picks a card.

  4. Step 4: Estimate and reveal

    Everyone chooses a card privately, then all cards are revealed together. Simultaneous reveal keeps estimates honest and avoids anchoring on the first voice in the room.

  5. Step 5: Reach consensus

    If scores match, that becomes the estimate and you move on. If they differ, discuss the outliers and vote again until the team agrees.

Ready to try planning poker with your team?

Create a free Pointly room, share the link, and start estimating in minutes.

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