Estimating user stories can be tricky. Too often, discussions drag on or estimates feel arbitrary. That’s where Planning Poker comes in — a fun, structured way to bring your team together for accurate, team based estimates.

Planning Poker, also known as Sprint Poker or Estimation Poker is a collaborative technique that helps Agile teams estimate the effort required for user stories or tasks.

It’s a structured, often gamified activity that typically takes place before sprint planning. Using a deck of estimation cards, each team member privately selects a card that represents their view of the effort involved. When revealed, the group discusses differences and works toward consensus.

What is an online planning poker session?

In an online Planning Poker session, teams use digital cards instead of physical ones. Estimates are cast anonymously and revealed simultaneously. It’s more efficient, inclusive, and free from bias.

If the estimates differ, the team discusses why. A second round of voting may follow, or the team can adjust the final score by consensus. This can be really useful for remote and hybrid teams, but works just as well for people in the same room to save time.

This ensures that estimates reflect a shared understanding of the work, not just the opinions of the most vocal team members…. And avoids all that manual mental math and decimal place calculations in a flurry of post it notes.

👉 Try it with your team: Run a Planning Poker Session Online

Why use planning poker in agile estimation?

Here’s 5 great reasons!

  1. It builds shared understanding – by revealing everyone’s estimate, it uncovers assumptions, dependencies and missing details early, leading to better defined stories.
  2. It removes bias and groupthink – Everyone estimates privately, so it’s not influenced by the most senior, confident or vocal team member, allowing balanced accurate estimates.
  3. Estimates are collaborative, and even fun – Structured, inclusive processes keep estimation session focused, time boxed and engaging. A game-like nature can boost morale and participation.
  4. It improves accuracy over time – By comparing complex tasks to simpler ones, teams naturally calibrate their sense of effort and complexity to help create smoother sprint planning.
  5. It encourages continuous learning – Differences represent and opportunity to learn. It highlights technical risks, unclear requirements or edge cases and may help the team get a better understanding of what “done’ really means.

How to run a planning poker session (step-by-step)

👉 Try it with your team: Run a Planning Poker Session Online

  1. Add or import your list of tasks or items for estimations.
    The facilitator presents the user story or task. Everyone should have enough context before estimating.
  2. Select a deck.
    Decide on the estimation scale (e.g.Fibonacci, T-shirt sizes, Powers of Two).Since Planning Poker practitioners shy away from estimating by time (turns out humans are pretty bad at it), you also need to decide what measure – often referred to as the scale – you will use to estimate a task’s effort. These are the numbers or units you will see on your playing cards.
  3. Start estimating.
    Each team member selects their card independently. Estimates remain hidden until everyone has chosen.
  4. Review together.
    All cards are revealed at the same time to prevent bias.
  5. Discuss differences.
    If estimates vary, the team discusses why. Often, the highest and lowest estimators explain their reasoning.
  6. Redo if needed.
    A second round helps the team reach consensus.
  7. Record the estimate.
    The final score is added to the backlog item, ready for sprint planning.

Benefits of planning poker for teams

Planning Poker is a practical way to bring clarity, confidence, and collaboration to your sprint planning. It helps teams move beyond guesswork by focusing on meaningful conversations about why something is complex, not just how long it will take. Every card turned becomes a spark for discussion about assumptions, dependencies, and risks that might otherwise stay hidden. When teams estimate together, they uncover blind spots early, align on priorities, and build a shared understanding of what “done” really means.

Over time, this consistency leads to better sprint forecasts, fewer last-minute surprises, and more predictable delivery. It also levels the playing field by giving everyone from developers to designers to testers an equal voice, creating a culture where all perspectives matter. By treating estimation as a team learning moment rather than a numbers game, Planning Poker turns planning into a collaborative rhythm that keeps teams connected, informed, and focused on delivering value.

When NOT to use planning poker

Planning Poker is a great way to build shared understanding and align on effort, but it’s not always the best fit. Here are a few times to consider another approach:

  • Story is too vague or oversized – Estimating work that isn’t well defined can cause confusion. Refine or break it down first.
  • Trivial tasks – Small items, like fixing a typo, don’t need a formal estimation session.

Pro tips for better sessions

Some Agile teams choose to skip estimations because they find them time-consuming, inaccurate, or unnecessary. Estimates can easily be misinterpreted as commitments, leading to pressure and frustration rather than collaboration. Others feel that discussions often take longer than the value they provide, especially when requirements aren’t clear or when real data from past sprints offers better insight. For teams focused on continuous delivery and learning, estimation can sometimes feel like a distraction from actually building and improving.

That said, when done with the right mindset and structure, estimation can still be a powerful tool for building shared understanding and alignment. Here are some pro tips to make your estimation sessions more effective:

  • Use a reference story – Select one baseline item (e.g. “Implement login with Google authentication”) and compare other stories against it.
  • Estimate effort, not time – Focus on complexity, not hours.
  • Split or park unclear stories – If consensus isn’t reached after two rounds, break the story down or revisit later.
  • Encourage open discussion – Differing estimates often surface risks or overlooked details.
  • Use best case, worst case, and ideal scenarios – Consider optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely effort to balance estimates.

Embrace the power of collaboration

Planning Poker is more than just an agile game. When used with intention, it becomes one of the simplest and most effective ways for Agile teams to stay aligned, reduce bias, and plan smarter together.

👉 Ready to give it a try? Run your next Planning Poker session and see how simple, inclusive estimation can transform your sprint planning.