Best Practices for Running a Planning Poker Session in Jira

[#1]

Planning Poker and Jira

What is planning poker?

Planning poker is a fun and collaborative way to improve planning and estimation for agile teams. It encourages lively discussion, reduces bias and uncertainty, and promotes team alignment and commitment.

Why planning poker and Jira are a good combination? 

Planning Poker and Jira are a good combination because they both support agile software development and help teams collaborate and deliver value faster. Here are the reasons: 

• Estimate work in a fun and interactive way. They allow teams to estimate their work in a fun and interactive way, using the Jira backlog as the source of truth for the project requirements.
• Integrate seamlessly. Teams can easily select issues, invite participants, view and edit issue details, and save their estimates to the Jira fields without leaving the planning poker session.
• Various estimation methods. They provide different estimation methods, such as story points, T-shirts, or custom values, to suit the needs and preferences of different teams and projects.
• Improve transparency and accountability. By using Jira, teams can track the progress of the work and identify any risks. This can help to improve transparency and accountability within the team.

How does planning poker work in Jira?

Planning poker works in Jira by using an app that integrates with the Jira platform and allows teams to estimate their work in a fun and interactive way. Different apps offer planning poker functionality for Jira, and for us, AgileBox is one of the best.

The planning poker for Jira feature of AgileBox is a powerful and fun way to improve planning and estimation ceremonies for remote teams. It allows teams to import issues from Jira, invite participants, customize their estimation scale and cards, play agile poker, discuss the results, and update Jira issues.

Learn more about AgileBox here: Agile Planning Poker, Retrospectives, Daily Standup for Jira

Best Practices

Here are some of the best practices for planning poker for Jira:

Prepare user stories in advance

Prepare the user stories or tasks in advance and make sure they are clear, concise, and testable.

Involve all team members

Invite all the relevant team members to participate in the planning poker session, such as developers, testers, designers, and analysts. The product owner or Scrum Master should act as the moderator and facilitator of the session.

Use a consistent set of estimates

Use a deck of cards with predefined numerical values, usually based on the Fibonacci sequence or a modified version. You can also use T-shirt sizes or custom values as your estimation units.

Encourage team members to discuss their estimates

Present one user story or task at a time and allow the team to discuss its requirements, complexities, and possible challenges. The moderator should answer any questions and clarify any ambiguities.

Set clear expectations for the planning poker session

The facilitator should set clear expectations for the planning poker session, such as the time limit, the rules for discussion, and the way that estimates will be recorded.

Be flexible and willing to adjust the estimates as needed.

If there is a significant difference in estimates, ask the team members with the highest and lowest estimates to explain their reasoning. Then, have a constructive discussion to reach a consensus on the estimate.

Follow up after the planning poker session to make sure the estimates are being used effectively

The facilitator should follow up after the planning poker session to make sure that the estimates are being used effectively. This can be done by reviewing the estimates with the team and making sure that they are being used to plan and track the work.

Use a planning poker plugin for Jira

There are some planning poker plugins available for Jira that can make it easier to run planning poker sessions. These plugins typically provide a digital interface for team members to submit their estimates and for the facilitator to reveal the estimates and lead the discussion.

These practices and tips can help teams optimize their estimation processes, improve collaboration, and enhance Agile project management using Planning Poker and Jira.

[FarerXp]

The synergy between Planning Poker and Jira lies in their ability to streamline the agile development process. Planning Poker fosters lively discussions and reduces biases in estimating tasks, leading to more accurate project planning.

[MalakSmurf]

Planning poker is indeed a fantastic technique for agile teams, promoting better estimation and teamwork. When combined with Jira, it becomes even more powerful. Jira's flexibility and features make it an ideal tool for managing agile projects. It allows teams to plan, track progress, and adapt quickly, ensuring that the work aligns with the team's goals and the project's overall success. If you're interested in similar collaborative approaches, you might also want to explore 홀덤커뮤니티 to connect with poker enthusiasts. In this community, you can share strategies, discuss different variants of poker, and learn from others, creating a different kind of teamwork and collaboration!