What Is Poker Game in Agile?

Poker game, also known as planning poker, is a popular technique used in agile development methodologies to estimate the effort required to complete a project or a task. It is a collaborative and fun way of estimating work that involves the entire team. In this article, we will discuss what exactly poker game in agile is and how it works.

What Is Poker Game in Agile?

Poker game in agile is a technique that helps teams estimate the amount of effort required to complete a task or project. It is based on the idea that people are better at relative estimation than absolute estimation. In other words, it’s easier to compare two items and say which one is bigger than trying to estimate their sizes in numbers.

The poker game involves all team members sitting together and playing a game where they assign points to each task or project based on their complexity. The points assigned are not actual time units but are used as an indicator of relative effort required for the task.

How Does It Work?

The poker game starts with the team selecting a set of tasks or user stories that need to be estimated. Each user story represents a feature or functionality that needs to be implemented.

Once the user stories are selected, each member of the team receives a set of cards with numbers written on them. These numbers represent different levels of complexity for the tasks. The most common sequence used for these cards is 0, 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40 and infinity.

PRO TIP:Poker Game in Agile is a technique used to estimate how long certain tasks will take. It involves a group of people coming together, discussing the tasks at hand and giving their estimates on how long they would take. The estimates are then compared and discussed among the group until an agreement is reached. This helps teams have an accurate understanding of how much time will be needed for each task, which helps them plan better and manage their workloads more effectively.

The team then selects one user story at a time and discusses its requirements and constraints. Once everyone understands what needs to be done, each member selects one card from their deck which they think best represents the level of complexity for that user story.

All members reveal their cards simultaneously and discuss their reasoning behind their selection if there’s any discrepancy among them. This discussion can help clarify any misunderstandings or differing perceptions about the user story.

Once everyone has had a chance to voice their opinion, the team selects the card that represents the majority vote as the estimation for that user story. This process is repeated for each user story.

Benefits of Poker Game in Agile

Poker game in agile has several benefits. It helps teams to:

  • Estimate Effort Accurately: By involving all team members in the estimation process, poker game ensures that everyone’s perspective is considered, leading to more accurate estimates.
  • Facilitate Discussion and Collaboration: The discussion and collaboration that occur during a poker game can help identify potential roadblocks and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
  • Promote Transparency: Poker game promotes transparency within a team as everyone is aware of each other’s estimates and reasoning behind them.
  • Increase Team Morale: Poker game is a fun and engaging way to estimate work which can help boost team morale and motivation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, poker game in agile is a simple yet effective technique for estimating work in an agile development methodology. It helps teams to estimate effort accurately, facilitates discussion and collaboration, promotes transparency, and increases team morale. By using this technique, teams can ensure that they deliver high-quality products on time with minimal delays or surprises.