How it works
1. One link, shared once
Post it in the channel or drop it in the calendar invite. The same link works for every story, this sprint and every sprint after. Nobody signs up, nobody installs anything, and there is no room code to read out twice because somebody mistyped it.
2. Everyone picks a card
Cards stay face down. The page shows how many people have voted and who they are if they gave a name — never what anyone chose. You can change your mind as many times as you like until the cards are turned over.
3. Turn them over together
The facilitator reveals, and every open page flips within a second or two. You get the spread, the highest and the lowest, and then you talk.
Why simultaneous matters
The reason planning poker exists is anchoring. If the tech lead says "that's a five" before anyone else commits, the estimates that follow cluster around five — not because the team agrees, but because five is now the number in the room. Committing privately and revealing at once is the entire mechanism, and it is why a spreadsheet or a show of hands does not substitute.
This tool will not show you an average, on purpose. The moment a group estimate becomes arithmetic, it starts getting treated as a measurement. The number that matters is the spread, and the useful minute of the meeting is the one where the person who said 2 and the person who said 13 explain what they are each picturing.
What it is not
- Not a tracker. There is no velocity chart, no history across sprints, no export. It sizes the story in front of you and then gets out of the way.
- Not tied to a backlog tool. No Jira connection, no integration to approve. Paste the story title, or just say it out loud and leave the box empty.
- Not a permanent record. Votes from a few stories ago are cleared as you go. The board holds the story you are on.
FAQ
Do people need an account?
No. Nobody signs up, nobody gives an email address and there is nothing to install. If you can paste a link into a call, everyone can vote.
Can the facilitator see the cards early?
No, and that is deliberate. The facilitator's page polls exactly the same endpoint everyone else's does, and the server does not send a single card value to anyone until the reveal. An estimate you can peek at is not an estimate.
Can I change my vote?
Yes, as many times as you like, right up until the cards are turned over. After that the round is closed and the next story starts fresh.
Do I have to give my name?
No. The name field is optional and is only there so the facilitator can see who is still to vote. Leave it blank and you show up as a dash.
How many people can vote?
Sixty on one board, which is far more than a team that can usefully estimate together. If you are over about a dozen, the conversation is the bottleneck, not the tool.
What are the "?" and coffee cards for?
"?" means you cannot size it yet — usually the most useful card in the deck, because it says a question needs answering before the estimate means anything. The coffee cup is the traditional "I need a break".
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The deck is laid out for a thumb, which matters because half the people in a sprint planning call are on a phone or a second screen.
Related
For the top of the same meeting, there is a daily question and stand-up games. For how the team is travelling, the weekly pulse, and for saying thank you afterwards, the kudos wall.