Why is planning poker an effective estimation technique?

Question

Options

• AIt generates a lot of useful discussion and gets team buy-in.
• BIt results in lower estimates as team members will estimate individually.
• CIt triggers a more detailed and task oriented break-up of the story.

• A
  93% (25)
• B
  4% (1)
• C
  4% (1)

Explanation

Planning poker works because it surfaces divergent opinions: when team members simultaneously reveal different estimates, those gaps spark focused conversation about complexity, risks, and assumptions that might otherwise go unnoticed. Option A is correct because this structured discussion - not the numbers themselves - is where the real value lies, and the collaborative process naturally builds team ownership of the estimates.

Option B is wrong because planning poker is a group technique designed to prevent anchoring bias (not produce lower estimates) - individual silent estimation is actually a problem it solves by revealing disagreement. Option C is wrong because story break-down is a separate activity (like task decomposition or story splitting); planning poker estimates the story as a whole rather than decomposing it into tasks.

Memory tip: Think of planning poker as a conversation starter disguised as a card game - the cards don't matter as much as what happens when people disagree on them.

No community discussion yet for this question.