Separate developer and QA estimates

In most planning poker sessions everyone votes on one number for the whole story. That works, but it hides something useful: building a story and testing it are often very different amounts of work. EstimateIt lets developers and QA estimate separately, then adds the two together.

Why one number can mislead

• Testing effort gets lost. A small code change can need a lot of testing, for example across many browsers, devices or payment types. When developers outnumber testers, a single vote can drown out the people who know how big the testing is.
• The discussion is about the wrong thing. A developer voting 3 and a tester voting 8 may both be right about their own part. Arguing about one number hides that.
• Bottlenecks stay hidden. If testing is consistently the bigger part, the team needs to know so it can plan for it.

How it works in EstimateIt

1. When the Scrum Master starts a room, Separate Developer and QA estimates is ticked in the settings unless they untick it.
2. Each person joins as a Developer or as QA, and votes only in their own section.
3. The facilitator reveals each section on its own, or both together with Reveal both QA and Dev votes, and each group agrees its own number.
4. EstimateIt adds them into Total pts, rounded to the nearest card (0, ½, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100) once both are agreed. Rounding can be switched off in the room settings.

When one team estimate is better

Separate estimates suit teams with dedicated testers. If everyone on your team builds and tests their own work, or the team is very small, untick Separate Developer and QA estimates when you start the room. Everyone then votes in one section, as in classic planning poker.

Common questions

Should testers vote in planning poker?

Yes. Testing is part of the work, and testers often spot effort that developers miss. Separate estimates make sure their view counts.

How is Total pts worked out?

It is the developer estimate plus the QA estimate, rounded to the nearest card once both are agreed, unless rounding is switched off for the room.

Can the whole team vote on one number instead?

Yes. Untick Separate Developer and QA estimates when you start the room, and everyone votes in one Team estimate.

Try it with your team

EstimateIt is free planning poker for agile teams, with nothing to install and no sign-up.

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