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#PlanningPoker #StoryPointEstimation #Agilemania

Planning Poker is an Agile planning and estimating technique. Agile teams around the world use Planning Poker to estimate their product backlog. Planning Poker can be used with story points, ideal days, or any other estimating unit.

Planning Poker is an engaging act and a productive approach for estimating the user stories. As, the activity is all about a discussion, not only is it painless for the team members to arrive at a consensus but also provides a wide view for implementing a user story at hand.

This technique is loosely based on Delphi and Wideband Delphi approach and practice at Rand Corporation in the 1940s.

The planning poker exercise is done by the entire agile team together, so when they estimate together, they commit to it as a team.

Each team is given a set of cards that contain the numbers the team has agreed to use as the estimate. Remember, everyone in the team is part of the estimating activity. The numbers could be the modified Fibonacci sequence but the team can use whatever they think fits the team's requirement.

The product owner explains the backlog item, usually user story to the team. The team and the product owner discuss the item. Team members seek clarification if needed. The product owner clarifies the expectations.

The planning poker could be a quick activity but might need more time based on the complexity of the requirement.

Once each team member understands the requirement and various parameters such as the complexity, volume, and unknowns, they come up with an estimate individually.

And then they pull that number from the deck of cards without showing to anyone else. This is done in secrecy so that no one influences others or gets influenced.

When everyone has an estimate, all the cards are shown at the same time.
If everyone has the same number, we are done with the estimate for that requirement.
Write that number down as the estimate and move on to the next item.

But if the numbers are different then we discuss it and then estimate it again.
This is not a vote where majority wins or we pick a fight.
We continue until we reach consensus that everyone agrees with.

Consensus is, I might not agree with you but I am willing go with the rest of the team.

If the team really have some challenges then we might need to talk to the product owner, if the product owner is unable to clarify then he is responsible to speak with the customer or business owner to get more insights on the requirements.

Challenges can be technical uncertainty or requirement uncertainty.
If it cannot be solved then we will put a hold to this item and move on until we have more information.

The whole idea is, to get a pair of numbers that everyone agree on to form a good baseline across most of the order of magnitude and then start plan planning poker.

This is how you play planning poker to deliver relative estimation of backlog items.

This is a whole team exercise where the entire team is involved.
It increases accuracy by including:
- all different perspectives,
- builds understanding and
- create a shared commitment.

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Other videos you might be interested:
1. Agile Estimating and Planning: Planning Poker ®:    • Agile Estimating and Planning: Planni...  
2. Story Point Estimation in Agile:    • Planning Poker | Story Point Estimati...  
3. Agile in Practice: Planning Poker:    • Agile in Practice: Planning Poker  

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