Paper Number
ICIS2026-3323
Paper Type
Completed
Abstract
Planning Poker is one of the most widely adopted estimation techniques in agile software development, yet evidence on its forecasting accuracy remains mixed while the practice persists. We treat this paradox as a problematization opportunity and ask how Planning Poker can be understood through the lens of expertise coordination. Drawing on 14 practitioner interviews, we develop three propositions. First, Planning Poker sessions produce coordination value, including shared task understanding, transactive memory maintenance, and the surfacing of tacit knowledge, that is analytically distinct from the estimation value. Second, the coordination value of an estimation episode depends on the fit between its configuration, work granularity, and team scale and synchrony. Third, external forecasting and control pressure degrades the coordination function while its form persists, manifesting in four anti-patterns. We contribute a coordination-theoretic analysis of agile estimation and outline implications for research and practice.
Recommended Citation
Obwegeser, Nikolaus and Wiedemann, Anna, "Beyond Accurate Estimates: Planning Poker as Expertise Coordination in Agile Software Development" (2026). ICIS 2026 Proceedings. 5.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2026/gentopics/gentopics/5
Beyond Accurate Estimates: Planning Poker as Expertise Coordination in Agile Software Development
Planning Poker is one of the most widely adopted estimation techniques in agile software development, yet evidence on its forecasting accuracy remains mixed while the practice persists. We treat this paradox as a problematization opportunity and ask how Planning Poker can be understood through the lens of expertise coordination. Drawing on 14 practitioner interviews, we develop three propositions. First, Planning Poker sessions produce coordination value, including shared task understanding, transactive memory maintenance, and the surfacing of tacit knowledge, that is analytically distinct from the estimation value. Second, the coordination value of an estimation episode depends on the fit between its configuration, work granularity, and team scale and synchrony. Third, external forecasting and control pressure degrades the coordination function while its form persists, manifesting in four anti-patterns. We contribute a coordination-theoretic analysis of agile estimation and outline implications for research and practice.
Comments
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