Planning Poker - Definition, Process, Benefits, Tips

Several projects fail or get interrupted due to a lack of team collaboration or having a different mindset. The most challenging is the estimation process, where all the project managers, testers, and developers get stuck. They find it difficult to estimate how much effort is required to complete a specific task.

Estimation sounds easy but having your numbers right can be tricky. Estimation can be helpful if done right. Else, it can change the whole game, and you have to face failure. With estimation, you can handle large and complex projects by dividing them into smaller, manageable ones.

Having proper estimation on the table puts much pressure on the team. They not only have to make efforts but also consider several factors to get to the correct estimation. A popular agile technique- Planning Poker was introduced to eliminate this problem. It has changed the game entirely by making the estimation straightforward. Many teams have adopted this technique to streamline their estimation process. For implementing Planning Poker within your projects, you should consider enrolling for Agile courses.

What is Planning Poker?

Planning Poker is one of the commonly used agile estimation techniques that has helped several teams to estimate the required time and effort to complete a project. The name comes from the game “poker”, which you might have heard. The name is justified as it includes playing cards. Each team member is involved in doing the estimation planning.

Planning Poker cards, estimate the number of story points supporting each story, and then start the discussion to conclude the estimation. This technique was designed to help companies estimate timelines accurately and enhance teamwork.

Though Planning Poker session is fun and morale-boosting, everyone in the software industry knows the value of collaboration and interaction to be on the same page and deliver products quickly. Adopting Planning Poker within your project will ensure adherence to all the agile principles.

Planning Poker Example

Below is the Planning Poker example:

Where Did Planning Poker Comes From? 

In 2002, Planning Poker came into the picture when James Grenning believed it might help eliminate the boredom of team members while discussing projects. He found that meetings are slow and tedious, and there is nothing to engage the team members and be productive. He also observed that in any meeting, some two or three people discuss and decide the estimates while others are sitting idle.

Planning Poker was introduced to involve the remaining ones and their views about the estimate. This way, the complete team members know what is going on, the user's requirements, the resources available, and other details. Planning Poker technique not only removes the boredom but also reduces the time taken to decide on an estimate.

But the technique got popular after it was mentioned in Mountain Goat Software's Mike Cohn in his book Agile Estimating and Planning. He also mentioned "Planning Poker" and emphasized its usage within software teams.

Planning Poker was also recognized by names such as pointing poker, Scrum Poker, and Estimation Poker. This game has closed the gap between members and brought them closer so they can share their perspectives. Undoubtedly, it has improved the rate of delivering projects with fewer bugs.

How Does Planning Poker Work?

So, starting the Planning Poker scale session, you must do the following for better results. If you wonder what the correct order of steps are during Planning Poker, check below:

• If you have new joiners, help them understand the Planning Poker process. Let them observe the game, so they can start playing cards in the next session. Note that the scrum master or project owner will work as a moderator and leave the room to discuss.
• Distribute the poker cards. Make sure that each member gets an identical set of numbered cards. We recommend using the Planning Poker Fibonacci sequence — 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. Cohn has suggested going with a sequence of 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, and 100. Generally, the card decks are kept minimal to minimize the number of jumps. It is done so that each member can reach a consensus number. Otherwise, the process will be prolonged.
• Now, the scrum master can start by reading the user's story from the sprint. This story includes all the details and context of their requirement. It helps the team to focus on minute details.
• After the story starts the discussion as a single group. The scrum master allows the team to ask questions to clear their points. Then each team member provides a solution to get the task done. This might include how many team members are required, resources, tools, etc. not only this, the discussion is very intense and might include asking some questions, such as:
• How can the team handle the task?
• Do you have enough resources and skills to complete the user’s work?
• What measures to follow in case of a deadlock or failure?

This way, the group tries to figure out the details and requirements of the user. It helps them to understand the task and find the most suitable way to delegate it.

• Team members start playing the game with cards. Each team member throws the card in front with its face down. Then the project owner has to draw a card. If all drawn cards do not match, jump tot he next step. If the drawn card has a higher value, then you need to invest more time calculating the estimate.
• The team starts estimating again unless everyone is on the same page. Each member can support their estimates with facts.  
• You can keep on repeating the game until a fixed estimate is done.

What is Planning Poker Estimation Technique?

Several Planning Poker estimation techniques are used for implementing within your project, depending on the requirement. Below are the techniques being and how they work:

• Wideband Delphi Technique
• Function point/Testing Point Analysis
• Percentage Distribution
• Experience-based Testing Estimation Technique
• PERT Software Testing Estimation Technique
• UCP Method (use-case point)
• WBS (work breakdown structure)

A) PERT Software Testing Estimation Technique

It is based on a statistical method where the team divides the complex task into smaller tasks and then carries out three different types of estimation on each sub-task. Below is the formula to calculate the test estimate:

Test Estimate = (O + (4 × M) + E)/6

Where,

• O = Optimistic estimate (best case scenario).
• M = Most likely estimate (there could be some problem, but most things will go right).
• L = Pessimistic estimate (worst case scenario).

To calculate the Standard Deviation

Standard Deviation (SD) = (E − O)/6

B) Use-Case Point Method

It is based on use cases where we calculate the unadjusted actor weights and unadjusted use case weights to get the software testing estimation.

Use-case is a document specifying different users and stakeholders interacting with the application, known as "Actors". This technique includes the following steps:

• Count every type of actor available.
• Calculate unadjusted actor weights-

Unadjusted Actor Weights = Total no. of Actors

• Count the number of use-cases.
• Calculate unadjusted use-case weights as

Unadjusted Use-Case Weights = Total no. of Use-Cases

• Calculate unadjusted use-case points as

Unadjusted Use-Case Points = (Unadjusted Actor Weights + Unadjusted Use-Case Weights)

• Determine the technical/environmental factor (TEF). If unavailable, use 0.50.
• Calculate the adjusted use-case point as

Adjusted Use-Case Point = Unadjusted Use-Case Points × [0.65 + (0.01 × TEF]

• Step Calculate total Effort as

Total Effort = Adjusted Use-Case Point × 2

C) Work Breakdown Structure

Follow the below steps to calculate the estimate:

• Create WBS by breaking the entire project into smaller tasks.
• Then break down the modules into smaller and accessible modules.
• Break down the sub-modules further into functionalities.
• Further divide the functionalities into sub-functionalities.
• Review the requirements and ensure to add all details in the WBS.
• Then estimate the Effort and time taken to complete each task.

D) Wideband Delphi Technique

This technique creates a small team of 3-6 people, and then WBS is distributed among them. They will re-estimate the tasks. Later, they prepare the final estimate with all the summarization. This estimate is not mathematically but more of an experienced task, where team members discuss to conclude the final estimation.

This method was popularized by Barry Boehm, who emphasizes group iteration to reach a conclusion with proper Effort and time taken.

E) Function Point / Testing Point Analysis

Function point specifies the application's functionality from the user's point of view. This technique is also used to calculate the estimate of the project. In the testing case, the estimate is based on the user's requirement or the previous prototype. But in this case, some components need to be calculated, such as.

• Unadjusted Data Function Points − i) Internal Files, ii) External Interfaces
• Unadjusted Transaction Function Points − i) User Inputs, ii) User Outputs & iii) User Inquiries
• Capers Jones Basic Formula
• Number of Test Cases = (Number of Function Points) × 1.2
• Total Actual Effort (TAE) −
• (Number of Test cases) × (Percentage of Development Effort /100)

F) Percentage Distribution

In this technique, each SDLC phase is assigned in terms of percent. The percentage is based on past data from similar projects. For example:

Phase	% of Effort
Project Management	7%
Requirements	9%
Design	16%
Coding	26%
Testing (all Test Phases)	27%
Documentation	9%
Installation and Training	6%

 Next, % of effort for testing (all test phases) is further distributed for all Testing Phases −

All Testing Phases	% of Effort
Component Testing	16
Independent Testing	84
Total	100

Independent Testing	% of Effort
Integration Testing	24
System Testing	52
Acceptance Testing	24
Total	100

System Testing	% of Effort
Functional System Testing	65
Non-functional System Testing	35
Total	100
Test Planning and Design Architecture	50%
Review phase	50%

G) Experience-based Testing Estimation Technique 

This method is used by experts who calculate estimates based on their experience.

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When to Engage in Planning Poker?

In most teams, the Planning Poker session is conducted just after they write the backlog for the initial product. These Planning Poker sessions can take several days, depending on the requirement and estimation calculated. If the project is complex with many components, there will be several smaller tasks to estimate.

Generally, all the product backlogs are in story form. This backlog keeps on increasing after the user adds some requirements. In that case, teams have to work parallely in calculating the estimation once per iteration.

Planning Poker sessions are mostly conduct a few days before the iteration ends and just after following a daily standup as the team is still working together and have an understanding of the requirement.

Common Pitfalls

Below are some pitfalls of implementing Planning Poker:

• This technique will work if you can break down the project into smaller tasks with a set timeframe. 
• This process can be challenging if the team member has to say yes to a task that cannot be completed with available resources. 
• It might be possible that every team member does not understand the technique, resulting in failed estimates. 
• You cannot plan during the sprint is running smoothly. 
• This process is unsuitable if you do not have enough people to handle the issues and tasks.
• If the discussions are not enough to get everyone on the same page, then this technique will fail to show its results.
• It is recommended not to use this technique if the tasks are way beyond complex and are out of the team’s scope.

Planning Poker Tool

Some Planning Poker online tools can be considered to run estimates for your software application: 

• Chpokify.com- an easy, efficient, and ideal planning tool. 
• PlanningPoker.com lets you import stories that make further tasks easier and more accessible. 
• Firepoker.io- is a free Planning Poker app that does not require registration. You can start this tool right away and create estimations.  
• Planitpoker.com- has 100 percent free features. It is one of the affordable tools that any beginner can use for their practice sessions.

Benefits of Planning Poker

Below are some significant benefits of sprint Planning Poker that influence you to adopt it within your software applications: 

• Poker scrum planning is a straightforward technique for creating estimates. That is why many software developers prefer it. 
• Sprint poker planning lets each team member participate in the estimation creation process so that everyone can participate. This way, they can understand the user requirement and gain experience. 
• It lets everyone present their ideas on how they have concluded their estimations. 
• This technique supports story points that eliminate the differences between team members. 
• It helps the team members to be biased with their information. 

Who to Include in Planning Poker Meeting?

Below are the members participating in the Planning Poker in the scrum: 

• Scrum Team Members- derive the information from the product backlog. 
• Scrum Master- is a leader who arranges and manages the Planning Poker meeting. 
• Product Owner- will describe all the user stories to the team members to start the discussion. 

How Can I Get Planning Poker Cards?

Well, there are many online resources that you can consider getting along with Planning Poker cards. Every resource focuses on the same method, including the below-mentioned steps: 

• Distribute the poker cards. 
• Product owner will read out the user story descrivbing the requirements. 
• Everyone will start discusing the requiremnets. 
• Then everyone will select the card and tell their estimate. 
• Then a final decision will be taken to finish the discussion. 

Conclusion

Planning Poker in agile is a very common methodology that lets you estimate the time and effort required to deliver the project. It has helped many teams and organizations to deliver timely projects with fewer bugs. It was released in 2002 and has made its special place in all software companies. You can leverage some of the scrum Planning Poker online free tools. 

This technique eliminates boredom and lets the team member enjoy the meeting with solid results. For more details on Planning Poker, you can join KnowledgeHut’s Agile courses. The most important thing is that everyone can participate and share their thoughts on how to start working on the task. Everyone will get the opportunity to prove their worth and especially in a fun way.