What is the Planning Poker Estimation technique used for?
Why this is the correct answer
Planning Poker Estimation is a collaborative and consensus-based technique used in agile software development for estimating task sizes or complexities, particularly in Scrum frameworks. Team members, including developers and testers, use cards with numbers (often following the Fibonacci sequence) to represent their estimates for user stories or tasks based on complexity, time, and risk. The process ensures that all team members understand the task at hand through discussion.
During the estimation session, each team member privately selects a card representing their effort estimate, and then all members reveal their cards simultaneously. This method prevents individual estimates from influencing one another. If there are significant differences in the estimates, the team discusses the reasons behind the varying numbers, which helps uncover misunderstandings or new information, leading to more accurate estimates.
The process is repeated until the team reaches consensus or a majority agreement on the estimate. Planning Poker not only democratizes the estimation process by incorporating diverse perspectives but also helps avoid the anchoring effect of initial estimates. Moreover, it makes the estimation process more engaging and interactive, improving team involvement and morale.