What is Scrum Poker?
A complete guide to Planning Poker for agile teams
What is Scrum Poker — Scrum Poker (also known as Planning Poker) is a consensus-based estimation technique used by agile software development teams. Team members use numbered cards to estimate the effort required to complete user stories or tasks during sprint planning.
The technique was first described by James Grenning in 2002 and later popularized by Mike Cohn in his book "Agile Estimating and Planning". It combines expert opinion, analogy, and disaggregation into an enjoyable approach that results in quick but reliable estimates.
How Does Planning Poker Work?
- Present the story: The Product Owner or facilitator describes a user story or task to the team.
- Discuss: The team asks questions and discusses the requirements, acceptance criteria, and potential complexities.
- Vote privately: Each team member secretly selects a card representing their estimate. This prevents anchoring bias.
- Reveal simultaneously: All cards are flipped at the same time, revealing everyone's estimates.
- Discuss differences: If estimates vary significantly, the highest and lowest estimators explain their reasoning. The team re-votes until consensus.
Why Use Scrum Poker?
Eliminates Anchoring Bias
Private voting prevents senior team members from influencing others' estimates.
Encourages Discussion
Disagreements surface hidden assumptions and risks early in the process.
Engages the Whole Team
Everyone participates, including quieter members who might not speak up otherwise.
Quick & Accurate
Studies show that group estimation is more accurate than individual estimates.
Estimation Scales
🔢 Fibonacci Sequence
0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55
The most popular scale. The increasing gaps between numbers reflect the inherent uncertainty in estimating larger items.
👕 T-Shirt Sizing
XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
Great for early-stage estimation. T-shirt sizes feel less precise and more approachable, leading to faster consensus.
⚡ Powers of 2
1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64
Similar to Fibonacci but with larger gaps. Useful for teams that want to emphasize that big stories should be split.
Special Cards
- ? (Question mark) — "I don't have enough information to estimate this."
- ☕ (Coffee) — "I need a break." A fun way to signal the team has been planning too long.
Best Practices
- Time-box discussions to 5–10 minutes per story.
- Estimate relative effort, not hours or days.
- Use a reference story as your baseline.
- Don't aim for precision — "roughly right" is the goal.
- Include the whole team: developers, QA, designers.
- Split large stories — anything above 13 points should be broken down.
Scrum Poker for Remote Teams
Physical cards work great in person, but remote teams need a digital solution. Online tools like Scrum Poker Online provide:
- Instant room creation with shareable codes
- Fibonacci, T-Shirt, Powers of 2 & custom decks
- Simultaneous card reveal to prevent anchoring
- Built-in team chat & emoji reactions
- Round history and statistics dashboard
- Story queue with import/export
FAQ
How many people should participate?
Ideally 3–10 people. Most agile teams have 5–9 members, which is the sweet spot.
How long does a session take?
A typical session takes 30–60 minutes to estimate 5–15 stories.
What if the team can't reach consensus?
After 2–3 rounds, go with the majority or the higher estimate. Document the uncertainty and move on.
Are story points the same as hours?
No. Story points measure relative effort and complexity, not time. Teams calibrate their own scale over time.
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