Which elements are used in estimating poker?

• A. Expert opinion, analogy, and disaggregation.
• B. Only historical velocity.
• C. Code complexity metrics only.
• D. Defect counts.

Answer: (A)

Planning poker relies on collective judgment to size work relative to other items. Team members bring their experience and domain knowledge to form expert opinions about how much effort a story will take. They also use analogy, comparing a new item to similar items already completed, to anchor its size and reduce uncertainty. Disaggregation helps by breaking larger items into smaller parts, making estimates more precise and easier to agree on. Together, these elements support a quick, collaborative convergence on a relative estimate.

Historical velocity isn’t used to determine the size of a story during planning poker; it’s more about forecasting future work after estimates are in. Likewise, code complexity metrics and defect counts describe quality or technical characteristics, not the relative effort of a story. That’s why the combination of expert opinion, analogy, and disaggregation is the best fit for planning poker estimates.