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Matt Lewandowski
Matt Lewandowski

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The Power of Anonymous Planning Poker šŸ«£

As an agile practitioner, Iā€™ve always been a proponent of planning poker for improving estimation accuracy and fostering collaboration within teams. However, thereā€™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:

  1. It eliminates the influence of authority bias, conformity bias, and other psychological factors that can skew estimates.

  2. It encourages team members to express their true opinions without fear of judgment, leading to more honest estimates.

  3. It promotes diversity of thought by encouraging all team members to contribute their unique perspectives.

  4. 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.

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Top comments (4)

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zainabb profile image
Zainabb ā€¢

Poker is a classic and truly worthy of attention as a gambling game. But even for such a big poker fan like me, sometimes I need variety and want to try something new. I decided to focus more on slots, starting with joker jewels gratis argentina because thereā€™s a demo. When a game provider or online casino offers demos, it immediately builds more trust for me and makes me want to try it.

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yonatankorem profile image
Yonatan Korem ā€¢

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.

It eliminates the influence of ... conformity bias

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.

It encourages team members to express their true opinions without fear of judgment

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.

It promotes diversity of thought

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.

It increases participation by lowering the barrier for those who may be hesitant to speak up

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.

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stmegabits profile image
StMegabits ā€¢ ā€¢ Edited

Iā€™ve recently started using Anonymous Planning Poker, and itā€™s been a game-changer for me. The ability to make decisions without feeling pressured really brings out the fun and strategy, much like playing in a casino. My love for casinos has only grown, and I always visit argoldensands.com They have such a wide selection of casinos, making it easy to find the right one every time. Whether itā€™s Poker or just trying my luck, thereā€™s always something exciting to explore!

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nuryalom profile image
Nuryalom ā€¢ ā€¢ Edited

I've always found that aspect fascinating too. It really does level the playing field and lets everyone contribute without bias, which is crucial for fair decision-making in agile teams. I remember a project where we used a similar approach, and it made a huge difference in transparency and engagement.Your mention of using anonymous tools like those at pafisamarinda.org brings up an interesting point about how tech can enhance collaboration. I wonder what others think about this methodā€”do you find it improves team dynamics or does it introduce new challenges? I've seen both sides in my experience, but overall, I'm a fan of anything that promotes openness and fairness in planning sessions.

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