Planning poker for remote and hybrid teams

Planning poker works well with a remote or hybrid team, often better than physical cards, because everyone votes on their own screen and nobody can see anyone else's card early. The difference is in the set-up and in keeping everyone involved when the room is a video call.

Before the call

• Get the items ready first. Add the stories to the room before the call, with links to the details, so the call is spent estimating rather than reading.
• Send the room link with the invite. People can join a minute early and check it works on their device.
• Keep it short. Video calls are tiring. Aim for an hour or less, and split a big backlog over two sessions.

During the call

1. Share the story, not the votes. The facilitator can share their screen to show the story, while everyone votes on their own device.
2. Wait for everyone. Reveal when everyone has voted, not when most have. The quieter people often have the most useful view.
3. Call on people by name. On a video call it's hard to tell who wants to speak. After the reveal, ask the highest and lowest voters directly.
4. Keep cameras optional. The votes are on screen, so nobody needs to hold up a card.

Hybrid teams

When some people are in a meeting room and others are at home, the people at home are easily left out. Ask everyone in the room to join from their own laptop, not one shared screen, so every vote and every voice counts the same. Have the facilitator check the remote people first after each reveal.

Across time zones

If there is no good time for everyone, keep live sessions for the stories that need discussion, and pick a time that rotates so the same people aren't always up early or late. A shorter session at a reasonable hour beats a long one at midnight.

Running it in EstimateIt

Start a room, add the items and send the room link. People join from a browser on a laptop or phone, with nothing to install and no sign-up, and up to 100 people can join one room. Ticks show who has voted, the votes stay hidden until the facilitator reveals them, and every screen updates together. If the facilitator has to drop off, they can hand over to someone else.

Common questions

How do you run planning poker remotely?

Start an online planning poker room, share the link before the call, and have everyone vote on their own device while the facilitator shares the story on the video call.

Does planning poker work for hybrid teams?

Yes, if everyone votes on their own device, including the people in the meeting room, so remote voices count the same.

Do people need to install anything to join an EstimateIt room?

No. They open the room link in a web browser on a laptop or phone, enter a name and join. Nobody needs an account.

Try it with your team

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

Start a planning poker room