How Are Planning Poker and Affinity Estimating Similar?

Planning poker and affinity estimating are two popular techniques used in agile project management to estimate the size, effort, and time required for completing a task or user story. While both these techniques have unique features and benefits, they share some similarities that make them effective tools for estimating in an agile environment.

Let’s take a closer look at how planning poker and affinity estimating are similar:

1. Both use relative estimation

One of the primary similarities between planning poker and affinity estimating is that both techniques use relative estimation instead of absolute estimation. This means that team members don’t estimate tasks in hours or days but rather compare the complexity of one task with another. For example, if a team estimates that Task A is twice as complex as Task B, they assign 2 points to Task A and 1 point to Task B.

2. Both involve group collaboration

Another similarity between planning poker and affinity estimating is that both techniques involve group collaboration. In planning poker, the team comes together to discuss each task and arrive at a consensus estimate. Similarly, in affinity estimating, the team works together to categorize tasks into groups based on their complexity.

PRO TIP:Planning Poker and Affinity Estimating are both tools used to estimate the duration of a project. Both methods involve breaking down the project into discrete tasks and assigning each task an estimated time frame. The main difference is that Planning Poker requires a group consensus on each task, while Affinity Estimating requires individuals to estimate each task independently.

3. Both promote transparency

Transparency is a critical aspect of agile project management, and both planning poker and affinity estimating promote it by encouraging team members to discuss their reasoning behind each estimate openly. By doing so, everyone gains a better understanding of the work required for each task.

4. Both help teams avoid anchoring bias

Anchoring bias is when someone’s initial estimate influences subsequent estimates made by others in the team. Planning poker and affinity estimating help teams avoid this bias by keeping everyone’s estimates private until revealed simultaneously. This ensures that no one gets influenced by anyone else’s opinions.

5. Both provide useful metrics

Finally, both planning poker and affinity estimating provide useful metrics for tracking progress over time. By assigning points or categories to each task, teams can track how much work has been done and how much is left. This helps them to plan future sprints more accurately and adjust their estimates based on past performance.

In conclusion, while planning poker and affinity estimating have some differences, they share some critical similarities that make them effective estimation techniques in an agile environment. By using relative estimation, promoting collaboration and transparency, avoiding anchoring bias, and providing useful metrics, these techniques help teams make better estimates and deliver high-quality work within the time frame of an agile project.