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Getting started

Getting started

Owned by Derya Özdemir
Last updated: Mar 09, 2025 by Derya Özdemir
4 min read

This page applies to both Planning Poker for Jira Cloud and Jira Data Center.

Welcome to Planning Poker for Jira – a tool for efficient project estimation and team collaboration. This guide will help you quickly get started with the essential steps.

Before you begin, we recommend reviewing this document, which provides an overview of estimation values, user roles, and more.

Planning Poker is designed to transcend project boundaries, operating globally rather than being tied to a specific project or board. With two easy entry points, you can access the same collaborative platform, the Dashboard, no matter how you initiate the game.

Once installed, Planning Poker will add a new menu item in the following locations:

Jira top menu Apps > Planning Poker

Project sidebar

1. Start/join a game

Before diving into Planning Poker, let's acquaint you with the Dashboard—an essential hub for navigating and managing your estimation sessions.

The Dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of ongoing and finished games, allowing you to swiftly access and orchestrate your estimation process. You can access it by clicking the entry points above.

On the Dashboard, you can use filters or the search feature to locate a game easily and perform actions like copying an existing session with all its settings.

For admins:

For estimators:

  • Your role is to configure the game and manage the estimation process.

  • Begin by creating a new game and inviting participants using an invitation link. You can start a game even without any configuration, but it would be better to make sure that some basic settings are in place. To learn how to configure and start a game, check out the related documents (Cloud, DC).

  • Your role is to estimate project tasks accurately.

  • Join a Planning Poker game by following the invitation link sent to you by the game administrator or through the Planning Poker Dashboard.

2. Estimation process

Planning Poker involves organized rounds, each focusing on estimating an issue. These rounds consist of three phases: Backlog, Discussion, Voting, and Final estimate submission.

In summary, the Backlog phase marks the beginning of the game, initiated by the game administrator. After the admin chooses an issue, the Discussion phase begins, during which the Product Owner presents the details of the issue, and estimators ask questions to clarify. Once everyone is clear about the issue, the Voting phase starts. After voting, the Final estimate submission phase begins, where the Scrum master analyzes the results and ensures a consensus on the estimation value. This phase concludes when the Scrum master saves the estimation value.

a. Backlog phase

For admins:

For estimators:

  • Once everyone's in, start the session by clicking the Start game button.

  • As needed, tweak the backlog and game settings to suit your team's needs.

    image-20240728-214949.png
    Admin view

  • As the admin selects an issue for estimation, estimators wait for instructions.

b. Discussion phase

For admins:

For estimators:

  • Present the details of the issue with clarity and precision. Your comprehensive presentation sets the stage for an informed discussion and facilitates a more accurate estimation.

  • When everyone is clear about the issue, move the team to the Voting phase.

     

  • This phase requires your engagement and curiosity.

  • Ask questions to the admin regarding any aspect of the issue that requires clarification.

     

c. Voting phase

For admins:

For estimators:

  • Vote, reveal cards, and manage the estimation process.

  • Choose a card that represents your estimation for the specific issue.

    image-20240728-215124.png
    Estimator view

d. Final estimate submission

For admins:

For estimators:

  • Guide the discussion to ensure consensus.

  • Engage in discussions to reach a consensus on the estimation.

For a detailed description of the game flow and the controls used by nts and the admin, check out these documents: Game flow (Cloud, DC), Game controls (Cloud, DC).

3. End the game

A game concludes when all issues are estimated, or the admin chooses to finish it. Finished games can be reopened if needed.

For distributed teams that cannot conduct an “on-line” session, Planning Poker offers an Async mode to estimate each Jira issue individually. This mode doesn't follow a unified "session" concept, but estimators can estimate in the issues directly through the Async mode tab. To learn more about it, refer to the related document (Cloud, DC).

Effective communication and collaboration are pivotal for successful estimations in Planning Poker. Let's kick off your first game:

Game configuration (Cloud)

Game configuration (DC)