As an agile practitioner, I’ve always been a proponent of planning poker for improving estimation accuracy and fostering collaboration within teams. However, there’s one aspect of planning poker that often goes unnoticed: the significance of anonymity.
Anonymous planning poker takes the benefits of this estimation technique to new heights by eliminating bias and creating a safe environment for honest estimations. When team members can submit their estimates without revealing their identity, it levels the playing field and ensures that every opinion is valued equally, regardless of seniority or expertise.
The benefits of anonymous planning poker are numerous:
It eliminates the influence of authority bias, conformity bias, and other psychological factors that can skew estimates.
It encourages team members to express their true opinions without fear of judgment, leading to more honest estimates.
It promotes diversity of thought by encouraging all team members to contribute their unique perspectives.
It increases participation by lowering the barrier for those who may be hesitant to speak up in open estimation sessions.
To dive deeper into the power of anonymous planning poker and learn how Kollabe facilitates it, read the full article on our blog: The of Anonymous Planning Poker
By embracing anonymous planning poker and leveraging tools like Kollabe, teams can unlock the benefits of more accurate and unbiased estimates, ultimately leading to better project outcomes.
Top comments (1)
Hi Matt, Thanks for the article.
While I do agree that anonymity can be helpful, I can't fully agree with the benefits you listed.
In planning poker, members are supposed to vote at the same time. How is a member supposed to conform to a vote if they do not know the result?
I have seen it happen where people changed their estimation after the vote is done, but I would put that under authority bias that you mentioned.
I agree with this statement, but I think that if there is fear of judgement within the team, then the team has bigger issues than not wanting to give different estimations. Fear kills trust, and that is a major building block of a productive team.
Yes, but not if you started out with a non-diverse team. I work with another developer and we both have an uncanny similar way of thinking.
I think this is mostly about WHY people are hesitant. If they are hesitant because they fear judgement then that is related to your second point. It could be that people feel that they cannot give a good estimate.
There can also be another barrier here, even with anonymous planning poker. If the vote ends up being 2,1,2,2, and 5, people will want to know why someone thinks this is a 5 point task - thus eliminating the anonymity.