The basics
Planning poker vs. story points: what is the difference?
Planning poker is the conversation and voting method. Story points are one of the relative scales a team may choose during that method.
Planning poker is a way to decide together
In a planning poker round, participants hear the same item, select a value independently, and reveal at once. Differences begin a discussion before a new vote or a next action. The mechanics aim to draw out multiple delivery perspectives before the group settles on an estimate.
Story points are the shared language of comparison
A story point scale labels the outcome of that discussion. Teams commonly use it to compare effort, complexity, risk, and uncertainty against reference work. Other teams may use ideal days or a different relative scale; planning poker itself does not require one particular unit.
How they fit in refinement
Refinement makes product backlog items smaller and more precise over time. Once an item has enough context, a team can use planning poker to give it a relative size. Over multiple sprints, completed points may inform that team’s forecast. The sequence is important: clear enough work, independent judgement, shared understanding, then a planning signal.
For the practical sequence, follow the planning poker facilitation guide.
A useful shortcut to avoid
“One point equals one day” feels convenient, but it collapses a relative scale into a personal productivity target. Use calendar evidence and capacity separately when you need a date; keep story points as a team-level comparison tool.