HOW IT WORKS
Planning Poker is a consensus-based estimation technique. A facilitator runs the session while the team votes anonymously — votes are hidden until everyone has picked a card, preventing anchoring bias.
FACILITATOR
Go to the home page and click Create Session. Enter your name, a session name, and choose your settings.
Share the URL or the 6-character session code (shown in the top-right corner) with your team.
Type a story or ticket name into the Current Story / Ticket field, then click Start Voting to begin a round.
Wait for the team to vote. The player list shows who has submitted. Click Reveal once everyone is ready — or Reveal anyway to skip stragglers.
Review the results. A recommendation is shown based on your chosen decision method. Discuss any outliers with the team.
Click New Round to save the round and start the next ticket, or End Session when you are done. The session summary shows every round with votes and recommendations.
PLAYER
Open the session URL your facilitator shared, or go to the home page, click Join with Code, and enter the 6-character code.
Enter your name when prompted. Your name is saved in the browser so you won't need to enter it again on your next visit.
When the facilitator starts voting, the card deck appears. Pick the card that best represents your estimate for the story. You can change your pick any time before votes are revealed.
Once everyone has voted the facilitator will reveal the cards. You can see everyone's vote, the spread, and the recommended estimate.
Discuss any large differences — they often reveal differing assumptions. The facilitator will then start the next round or end the session.
CARD VALUES
The deck follows a modified Fibonacci sequence. Larger gaps between higher values reflect the natural uncertainty of bigger work items.
Use ? when you don't have enough information to estimate. It signals the team needs to discuss the story further before voting.
DECISION METHODS
The facilitator picks a method when creating the session. It controls how the recommended estimate is calculated from numeric votes. ? votes are always excluded.
The arithmetic average of all numeric votes. Gives weight to every vote and is most useful when the team agrees on a general range but differs slightly.
Votes: 3, 5, 5, 8 → Mean: 5.3
The most frequently cast vote. Good when there is a clear majority opinion and you want the recommendation to reflect actual team consensus rather than a smoothed average.
Votes: 3, 5, 5, 8 → Mode: 5
The highest vote cast. Conservative choice — useful when the team wants to account for worst-case complexity or carry a risk buffer.
Votes: 3, 5, 5, 8 → Max: 8
TIPS
- ◆Keep stories small enough that the whole team can estimate them in a single round. If estimates vary wildly, split the story.
- ◆The timer is optional. Use it to keep rounds moving, but allow enough time for participants on slow connections.
- ◆A consensus badge appears when all numeric votes are identical — quick visual confirmation that no discussion is needed.
- ◆Round history is saved when you click New Round or End Session, so the facilitator can share a complete summary after the meeting.
- ◆No account is needed. Your identity is stored in your browser's local storage. Clearing it will reset your name.