Practical guide
How to facilitate a planning poker session.
Good facilitation does not force agreement. It gives the people doing the work enough context and a fair way to surface what they see.
Prepare a small, understandable slice
Bring a concise problem statement, acceptance criteria, and any known dependencies. If the group has to invent the goal during the vote, pause and refine the item first.
Invite the people with delivery knowledge
The Scrum Guide places sizing with the Developers. Product and domain partners can clarify intent, but the people accountable for the work need room to form their own judgement.
Read, question, then vote privately
Give the team a brief silent moment after questions. Reveal cards at the same time so the first confident voice cannot become the default answer.
Ask about the edges of the spread
Invite a low and a high estimate to explain what led them there. Listen for assumptions, hidden work, a simpler approach, or a missing decision — not a defence of a number.
Decide the next useful action
Vote again when new understanding makes that worthwhile. Otherwise split the story, schedule discovery, or park it until an answer is available. Timebox the loop so refinement remains a service to delivery.
If the team needs a shared frame before the session, begin with the difference between planning poker and story points.
Make the room do less
Keep the ticket system, video call, and documentation where they already live. A shared PointRush room only needs to make the independent vote and reveal effortless, leaving the facilitator free to guide the conversation.