Atlassian Agile Project Management Professional Certification Practice Exam

What is the key output of a planning poker session?

1. A detailed project timeline

2. A consensus on delivering the story in the next Sprint

3. A list of tasks to be completed

4. An accurate estimate of total project cost

The correct answer is: A consensus on delivering the story in the next Sprint

The key output of a planning poker session is a consensus on delivering the story in the next Sprint. Planning poker is a collaborative estimation technique used in Agile methodologies, particularly Scrum, where team members come together to estimate the effort or complexity associated with user stories. During this session, each team member independently estimates the effort required for a given story using numbered cards, and then the team discusses these estimates to reach a mutual understanding and agreement. The primary goal of this exercise is not just to generate a number, but rather to create a shared understanding of the work involved. By coming to a consensus, the team can clearly communicate what can realistically be achieved in the upcoming Sprint. This alignment among team members helps prioritize the product backlog and plan for upcoming work effectively, ensuring that everyone has a shared commitment to the stories they aim to deliver. In contrast, while a detailed project timeline and a list of tasks might emerge later in the Sprint planning process, they are not direct outputs from planning poker itself. Similarly, although estimating a project’s total cost can be useful, it is not the primary focus of a planning poker session, which hones in on effort estimation of specific user stories rather than overall financial estimations.