Planning poker, also called Scrum poker, is a consensus-based, gamified technique for estimating, mostly used to estimate effort or relative size of development goals in software development. In planning poker, members of the group make estimates by playing numbered cards face-down to the table, instead of speaking them aloud. The cards are revealed, and the estimates are then discussed. By hiding the figures in this way, the group can avoid the cognitive bias of anchoring, where the first number spoken aloud sets a precedent for subsequent estimates.
Jan 30, 2018 This product is misleading. Its Planning Poker, it has nothing to do with Inspiration. For 11$ i thought i was getting 6 separate sets of cards that had different uses. You can make planning poker cards on your printer, dont waste 11$ on this.
Planning poker is a variation of the Wideband delphi method. It is most commonly used in agile software development, in particular in Scrum and Extreme Programming.
- Jul 18, 2017 In Planning Poker, the estimates created should be relative rather than absolute estimates. That is, a team will say things like, “This item will take twice as long as the other item, but we can’t estimate the actual number of hours for either item.” For example, this blog post contains one illustration.
- While doing scrum when it is time to do poker planning - during Story Time or during Sprint Planning? If it is during Story Time, then the only thing to do in Sprint Planning is to select stories for Sprint Backlog and write down tasks for each user story?
The method was first defined and named by James Grenning in 2002[1] and later popularized by Mike Cohn in the book Agile Estimating and Planning,[2] whose company trade marked the term [3] and a digital online tool.[4]
- 1Process
Process[edit]
Rationale[edit]
The reason to use planning poker is to avoid the influence of the other participants. If a number is spoken, it can sound like a suggestion and influence the other participants' sizing. Planning poker should force people to think independently and propose their numbers simultaneously. This is accomplished by requiring that all participants show their card at the same time.
Equipment[edit]
Planning poker is based on a list of features to be delivered, several copies of a deck of cards and optionally, an egg timer that can be used to limit time spent in discussion of each item.
The feature list, often a list of user stories, describes some software that needs to be developed.
The cards in the deck have numbers on them. A typical deck has cards showing the Fibonacci sequence including a zero: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89; other decks use similar progressions with a fixed ratio between each value such as 1, 2, 4, 8, etc.
The reason for using the Fibonacci sequence instead of simply doubling each subsequent value is because estimating a task as exactly double the effort as another task is misleadingly precise. A task which is about twice as much effort as a 5, has to be evaluated as either a bit less than double (8) or a bit more than double (13).
Several commercially available decks use the sequence: 0, ½, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100, and optionally a ? (unsure), an infinity symbol (this task cannot be completed) and a coffee cup (I need a break, and I will make the rest of the team tea). The reason for not exactly following the Fibonacci sequence after 13 is because someone once said to Mike Cohn 'You must be very certain to have estimated that task as 21 instead of 20.' Using numbers with only a single digit of precision (except for 13) indicates the uncertainty in the estimation. Some organizations[which?] use standard playing cards of Ace, 2, 3, 5, 8 and king. Where king means: 'this item is too big or too complicated to estimate'. 'Throwing a king' ends discussion of the item for the current sprint.
Planning Poker Online
Smartphones allow developers to use mobile apps instead of physical card decks. When teams are not in the same geographical locations, collaborative software can be used as replacement for physical cards.
Procedure[edit]
At the estimation meeting, each estimator is given one deck of the cards. All decks have identical sets of cards in them.
The meeting proceeds as follows:
- A Moderator, who will not play, chairs the meeting.
- The Product Owner provides a short overview of one user story to be estimated. The team is given an opportunity to ask questions and discuss to clarify assumptions and risks. A summary of the discussion is recorded, e.g. by the Moderator.
- Each individual lays a card face down representing their estimate for the story. Units used vary - they can be days duration, ideal days or story points. During discussion, numbers must not be mentioned at all in relation to feature size to avoid anchoring.
- Everyone calls their cards simultaneously by turning them over.
- People with high estimates and low estimates are given a soap box to offer their justification for their estimate and then discussion continues.
- Repeat the estimation process until a consensus is reached. The developer who was likely to own the deliverable has a large portion of the 'consensus vote', although the Moderator can negotiate the consensus.
- To ensure that discussion is structured; the Moderator or the Product Owner may at any point turn over the egg timer and when it runs out all discussion must cease and another round of poker is played. The structure in the conversation is re-introduced by the soap boxes.
The cards are numbered as they are to account for the fact that the longer an estimate is, the more uncertainty it contains. Thus, if a developer wants to play a 6 he is forced to reconsider and either work through that some of the perceived uncertainty does not exist and play a 5, or accept a conservative estimate accounting for the uncertainty and play an 8.
Benefits[edit]
A study by Moløkken-Østvold and Haugen[5] reported that planning poker provided accurate estimates of programming task completion time, although estimates by any individual developer who entered a task into the task tracker was just as accurate. Tasks discussed during planning poker rounds took longer to complete than those not discussed and included more code deletions, suggesting that planning poker caused more attention to code quality. Planning poker was considered by the study participants to be effective at facilitating team coordination and discussion of implementation strategies.
See also[edit]
- Comparison of Scrum software, which generally has support for planning poker, either included or as an optional add-on.
References[edit]
- ^'Wingman Software | Planning Poker - The Original Paper'. wingman-sw.com. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^Mike Cohn (November 2005). 'Agile Estimating and Planning'. Mountain Goat Software. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- ^'Planning poker - Trademark, Service Mark #3473287'. Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR). 15 January 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^Cohn, Mike. 'Planning Poker Cards: Effective Agile Planning and Estimation'. Mountain Goat Software. Mountain Goat Software. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^K Moløkken-Østvold, NC Haugen (10–13 April 2007). 'Combining Estimates with Planning Poker—An Empirical Study'. 18th Australian Software Engineering Conference. IEEE: 349–58. doi:10.1109/ASWEC.2007.15. ISBN978-0-7695-2778-9. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
- Mike Cohn (2005). Agile Estimating and Planning (1 ed.). Prentice Hall PTR. ISBN978-0-13-147941-8.
Strategic planning is a management activity that helps organizations clarify what it means and what it takes to win.
The strategic planning process wrestles with differentiating and directional questions such as:
- Why does the organization exist?
- How do we behave?
- What do we do better than anyone else?
- How will we succeed?
- Where will we be in five years?
The result is a strategic plan or “game plan” to reach the desired future. The plan is a guide for setting priorities, allocating resources, and managing talent. The plan isolates activities to sustain the growth, impact, and value of the organization.
3 Reasons Strategic Planning is a Waste
Sometimes, strategic planning can be a waste of time and money. Here are three big reasons why a process to create strategy is wasted:
Lack of ownership
One of the critical components of strategic planning is employee buy-in and ownership. Without it, strategic planning faces difficulties at best and is often doomed to failure. Many executives underestimate the effects of a lack of buy-in. They move through a strategic planning process without establishing champions at all levels of the company. Without buy-in and ownership, the plan will fizzle to the point of irrelevance.
Failure to execute
In his book on execution, Larry Bossidy states, “Strategies most often fail because they aren’t well executed.” The two most common obstacles to execution are:
a. The strategy ignores and/or conflicts with the prevailing power structure.
Many cultures have a visible or invisible power structure. Many people will resist efforts that could undermine their security and stability. Change of any kind is often interpreted as threatening and distressing. Thus, they protect turf and sabotage the success of new initiatives. This sabotage isn't usually intentional or malicious. Yet, it is debilitating to progress.
b. The strategy is poorly conceived or vague.
When rigor and hard work are absent from the process, a lackluster strategic plan is created. This leaves a void between the compelling vision and the actions needed to achieve it. Because the strategy is vague, confusion ensues. Buy-in and confident decisions become elusive. Successful implementation is impossible. The confusion and lack of clarity creates a lot of activities but little progress.
Communication around the strategic planning is insufficient.
Inadequate sharing of information and unclear accountability also can doom strategic planning. Failing to proactively communicate with employees increases the likelihood of failure. Employees want to know and understand the planning process. They want to how they can contribute to success. It is important to communicate why their participation in planning is critical. Regular communication about the progress will increase the probability of continued support and buy-in.
5 Reasons Strategic Planning is Worth the Time and Money
As you can see, the process of developing and the implementation of a strategic plan in not easy. We use the word 'process' intentionally. We believe the planning process is as important as the strategic plan itself. Below are five reasons a good strategic planning process is worth the investment of time and money.
It builds organizational alignment.
It is powerful when everyone in an organization understands its core purpose. This helps them realize why they do what they do. A clear, compelling vision to carry out the core purpose can be crafted. Realistic goals, objectives, and tactics will be created to realize the vision and purpose. This process builds consensus around where the team is headed and what efforts are most valuable in achieving the goals.
It engages stakeholders.
A great strategic planning process re-engages and re-energizes the staff and board. Fulfilling the mission is brought to the forefront. A great strategic plan creates a shared vision that develops buy-in from the total team. It concentrates the energy and develops clear direction and focus. It provides the framework for working toward the same goals. All stakeholders add value to the process when invited to provide input.
It enhances culture.
A great strategic planning process spurs creativity and brings innovative ideas to the table. This helps the organization remain agile and make course corrections as necessary. The strategic planning process defines what winning looks like in the organization. Employees want to win. A clear game plan for winning increases morale, teamwork, and camaraderie.
It helps us measure the right things.
A strategic plan tells us what we should measure. A scorecard measures what matters most to the success of the organization and helps you know if you are winning. It measures financial metrics, but also other metrics important to employees. Those metrics relate to their daily work such as customer satisfaction or efficiency ratings. The result is a direct line of sight to how their support of the strategy makes a difference.
It provides a framework for action.
A great strategic plan sets the direction and establishes the priorities for the organization. Action planning ensures seamless transition from the planning to implementation. Action plans translate the strategic priorities into specific initiatives. They identify specific actions required to carry out each of the priorities. They also assign timelines and accountability.
A word of caution is in order. Action planning will be tedious compared to determining the priorities. But, lack of detailed action plans undermine any strategy.
Conclusion
Strategic plans help you identify real opportunities and filter out distractions. Think about how much time can be wasted going after each shiny object that appears. A well done strategic plan ensures you don’t spend valuable resources on rabbit trails. Great strategic plans help everyone spend more time on high impact/high-growth activities. This provides a substantial return on investment.
Comments:
Planning Poker Numbers
In your experience, has strategic planning been worth the time and money invested? I would love to hear your answer in the comments.
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