Agile in Practice: Planning Poker

Summary

In this video, the Agile Academy introduces Planning Poker as a collaborative method for estimating the effort required for tasks in agile teams. Using the wisdom of the crowd, team members share their perspectives through cards with numbers based on the Fibonacci sequence. This helps account for uncertainties in larger tasks. The process encourages discussion and consensus among team members to ensure accurate and relative estimates. The session concludes with an understanding of how agile teams approach estimation, highlighting the benefits for both product owners and the development team.

Takeaways

• 😀 Planning Poker is a collaborative tool used by agile teams to estimate effort, using the wisdom of the crowd to arrive at more accurate estimates.
• 😀 Team members from various roles should be present during the estimation process to ensure all perspectives are considered.
• 😀 The Moscow method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) is used for prioritizing work before estimation takes place.
• 😀 Involving team members in the estimation process empowers them and ensures accurate representation of the effort involved.
• 😀 The game of Planning Poker helps identify risks and uncertainties in the work and makes the estimation process more inclusive.
• 😀 Each team member uses a deck of Planning Poker cards with numbers based on the Fibonacci sequence to represent their estimate.
• 😀 The Fibonacci sequence in Planning Poker cards helps account for uncertainty in estimating larger tasks.
• 😀 After initial estimates are made, team members discuss differences in their estimates, especially if they are at opposite ends of the sequence.
• 😀 The team continues to play the game until consensus is reached on the estimate, usually based on a majority or average.
• 😀 Once a story has been estimated, the team can use that as a reference to estimate the remaining stories, creating a relative scale of effort.
• 😀 Agile teams aim for relative, not precise, estimates because they understand that change is inevitable and estimates will evolve over time.

Q & A

What is Planning Poker and how is it used in Agile teams?

Planning Poker is a tool used in Agile teams to estimate the effort required to complete tasks. It encourages all team members to contribute to the estimation process by using cards with numbers to represent their views on the effort required for a task. This promotes the wisdom of the crowd and helps in making more accurate estimates by incorporating diverse opinions.

What is the role of the Moscow method in Agile planning?

The Moscow method is used to prioritize work in Agile teams. It helps determine which tasks are 'Must have,' 'Should have,' 'Could have,' and 'Won't have' in order to organize and prioritize work effectively before starting the estimation process using Planning Poker.

Why is it important to have team members who will actually do the work in the room during estimation?

It is important because those who will be responsible for the work have the most insight into the task's complexity and challenges. Their input ensures that the estimates are more accurate and reflective of the actual effort involved.

How does the Fibonacci sequence play a role in Planning Poker?

The Fibonacci sequence is used in Planning Poker to help account for the uncertainties involved in estimating larger tasks. As tasks grow in size and complexity, it becomes harder to estimate precisely, and the Fibonacci sequence reflects this by using a non-linear scale.

Why does Planning Poker use cards with non-sequential numbers like 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc.?

The non-sequential numbers, based on the Fibonacci sequence, are used to represent varying levels of uncertainty. As tasks grow larger, the uncertainty in estimating their size increases, so the numbers reflect this exponential increase in complexity.

What happens when team members have differing estimates in Planning Poker?

When team members have differing estimates, they discuss their reasoning behind the estimates. This conversation helps the team understand different perspectives, after which they can re-vote and come to a consensus or majority estimate.

How does the concept of 'Wisdom of the Crowd' apply to Planning Poker?

The 'Wisdom of the Crowd' refers to the idea that a diverse group of people can make more accurate decisions collectively than any single expert. In Planning Poker, each team member shares their estimate, and by combining their perspectives, the team arrives at a more accurate overall estimate.

What is the significance of estimating in Agile teams?

Estimating in Agile teams helps the team gauge the effort required for various tasks, allowing them to plan work effectively, set priorities, and allocate resources. However, it's important to note that estimates are not always precise, as change is inevitable in Agile environments.

How does the Agile team handle the uncertainty in estimating larger tasks?

The team accounts for uncertainty by using the Fibonacci sequence in Planning Poker, which helps them recognize that larger tasks come with greater uncertainty. By using higher numbers for bigger tasks, they can better reflect this uncertainty in their estimates.

What role does the Product Owner play in the Planning Poker process?

The Product Owner, like Jen in the script, reads out the user stories to the team and facilitates discussions around the tasks. They help the team understand the requirements and risks involved, ensuring that everyone is on the same page before estimation begins.