Learn Planning Poker
Everything we know about running estimation sessions that produce useful numbers — without dragging on or breaking the team's trust in the process.
Start here
What is Planning Poker? — the short explainer. Where the technique came from, why the private-vote-then-reveal mechanic matters, and when it's the wrong tool.
How to run a session — facilitator's playbook. Ground rules, the four phases of a round, ruthless time-boxing.
Card decks — Fibonacci, modified Fibonacci, T-shirts, Powers of 2. When to use each.
Splitting & sizing stories
Splitting stories — overview — when a story can't be estimated, the answer is usually splitting, not more refinement.
The story is too big — if it doesn't fit in a sprint, it isn't a story.
SPIDR splitting — five reliable cut lines: spike, path, interface, data, rules.
Definition of ready — the contract that gates entry into the sprint.
Can't estimate this story — the smell that says the story isn't ready.
What is a spike? — time-boxed investigation, with a deliverable.
Story points & time
Story points & time — overview — the conversion trap, and the questions teams keep re-litigating.
Story points vs hours — burn the conversion table. Project from velocity instead.
How many points per sprint? — yours, measured. Anyone else's number is irrelevant.
Should bugs have story points? — yes, with one exception.
Should spikes have story points? — no.
Do story points include testing? — yes, or your sprint will overrun every time.
Comparing techniques
Estimation techniques compared — Planning Poker is one tool among several. T-shirts, bucket sizing, affinity mapping, no-estimates.
When things go wrong
Common mistakes — the recurring ways estimation sessions quietly fall apart, and the small adjustments that pull them back.
Worked examples
Example estimations — real story shapes (login, payments, flaky tests, migrations, spikes) walked through the conversations they actually need.
Quick answers
FAQ — pricing, sign-up, deck options, voting privacy, remote teams.
Or just try it
Most of this makes more sense after a round. Open a session, paste the link in your team chat, and walk through the four phases on one easy story.