Planning Poker

A consensus-based estimation technique where each team member privately selects a card representing their effort estimate for a user story, then all players reveal simultaneously. This prevents anchoring bias — no one is swayed by the first estimate they hear. When estimates differ significantly, the team discusses the story further before re-estimating. Planning Poker typically uses Fibonacci-sequence cards (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21). Remote tools like Plandeck run the same ritual online: the team votes in a shared room, every card flips at the same moment, and divergent estimates trigger a discussion before the re-vote — with session history kept for the next planning.