Planning Poker
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
An estimation technique in which team members simultaneously reveal cards, usually bearing Fibonacci values, and then discuss the items with the largest spread until they converge on a shared estimate. Its proposition is that independent judgment must precede discussion, because the first speaker anchors everyone else, while collective discussion then corrects individual bias. Qualifier: the goal is a shared understanding of the work, not a numerical average that conceals disagreement.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Independent estimate: Have each member size the work privately before any discussion happens. - Anchoring control: Reveal cards simultaneously so the first confident voice cannot steer the group. - Disagreement focus: Debate the items with the widest spread to expose hidden assumptions and risks.
Anchor fast decisions
Estimates formed in discussion reflect social influence rather than independent judgment, because early speakers anchor later ones. Simultaneous reveal removes that sequence and produces genuinely independent numbers. The spread itself then becomes information: large gaps point to differing assumptions about the work, and resolving those gaps improves the estimate more than averaging would.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning_pokerverified
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