Guide to Scrum Poker

What is Scrum Poker: Scrum Poker, also known as Planning Poker, is a consensus-based estimating technique. It is often used in Scrum – an agile development methodology. This technique leverages the wisdom of the entire team to make an estimation as it engages all members. Each member provides their estimate for a task, and outliers provide explanations on their rationale, promoting valuable discussion and leading to more accurate estimates.

Why it is Important: Scrum Poker is important because it places emphasis on team collaboration and discussion, encouraging every member to contribute their perspective. This way, it reduces group thinking bias because everyone's estimate is anonymous initially. This approach can help in releasing a more realistic timeline and increases the success rate of complex projects.

How it Works: In Scrum Poker, numbers are represented using cards. Each team member holds a set of cards with values indicating the complexity of the task. Once a task is presented, team members select a card representing their estimate of how complicated the task is. All cards are revealed simultaneously to prevent influence and discussion ensues regarding the estimate. This process continues until the whole team agrees on an estimate.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Scrum Poker: For questions about Scrum Poker in the exam, remember that its purpose is team collaboration and consensus-based estimates. Questions may focus on the process and the benefits of this technique. Understand that estimates in Scrum Poker are not about getting the 'right' answer but about invoking discussion among the team members. Also, remember that values in cards are usually represented in sequence (like the Fibonacci sequence) to reflect the uncertainty in estimating larger items.