Diagnose the spread

Ask what each person priced

After simultaneous reveal, ask the lowest and highest estimators what they included, which dependencies and approaches they assumed, and what evidence would change their view. Preserve the answers before re-estimating. Evidence for Planning Poker is limited; simultaneous reveal is a discussion device, not a guarantee of accuracy or freedom from bias.

Worked example and transfer practice

All examples below are fictional teaching material. Use synthetic notes; no workplace or personal data is required or uploaded.

Compare the imagined work. Two people size the fictional export as 3 and 13. The lower estimate assumes a tested connector and a fresh data set. The higher includes migration and permission checks. Record those assumptions before another vote. The team first agrees whether migration is included, then investigates the connector. An average of 8 would conceal the reason for the disagreement.

Try before reading the guide: Two estimates are 5 and 8. One person assumes batch processing; the other assumes real-time updates. Write a neutral question for each estimator and identify what evidence would make the estimates comparable.

Practice review guide

Ask what behavior, quality conditions and approach each included. Resolve the boundary before repeating the estimate. A narrow spread can still hide a shared mistaken assumption; agreement is not accuracy.