CAPM Practice: Determine how to plan project iterations

Planning Poker (or Scrum Poker) has team members simultaneously reveal their estimates using cards. Outliers (highest and lowest estimators) explain their reasoning, surfacing assumptions and information others may not have considered. This collaborative discussion improves estimate quality by incorporating diverse perspectives and domain knowledge. The simultaneous reveal prevents anchoring to earlier estimates.

**Why not A:** Planning Poker is a team estimation technique that deliberately removes top-down influence from the estimation process. Requiring the project manager to approve all estimates would reintroduce anchoring pressure and undermine the independent expert judgment the simultaneous-reveal mechanic is specifically designed to protect.

**Why not B:** Planning Poker uses relative sizing with abstract units (Fibonacci numbers, T-shirt sizes) rather than mathematically precise calculations. Its value lies in exposing different mental models of complexity and triggering productive discussion, not in producing arithmetically exact figures — precision is neither the goal nor the outcome.

**Why not C:** Planning Poker is not designed to be the fastest estimation method; techniques such as expert judgment or analogy-based sizing can be significantly faster. Speed is a secondary concern at best; the primary purpose is improving estimate quality by surfacing assumptions through structured team dialogue.