What Is Planning Poker?

Planning poker (also called scrum poker) helps development teams estimate the effort required for backlog items without anchoring bias. Each team member selects a card representing their estimate, all votes are revealed simultaneously, and the team discusses differences before agreeing on a value.

Why agile teams use planning poker

• Encourages participation from the whole team, not just senior members
• Surfaces hidden complexity and assumptions early
• Creates a shared understanding of scope before sprint commitment
• Works equally well for co-located and remote teams when using an online tool

When to run a planning poker session

Teams typically use planning poker during sprint planning and backlog refinement. The facilitator presents one user story at a time, the team asks clarifying questions, votes privately, reveals cards together, and repeats until estimates converge.

Run planning poker online for free

PlanITPoker lets you create a room instantly, share a link with your team, and estimate with Fibonacci or T-shirt decks — no account required.