Agile Question 538

[admin]

During a backlog refinement session, your Agile team is using Planning Poker to estimate user stories. One senior team member always waits until others reveal their estimates before sharing their own, often influencing others to change their scores afterward. Several quieter team members seem to follow the senior member’s lead, even when they initially had different opinions. The team is now rushing estimates and rarely discusses discrepancies.

As the Scrum Master, you’re concerned that the process is no longer collaborative or effective.

What should you do first?

A. Remind the team about silent voting in Planning Poker
B. Ask the senior member to estimate first every time
C. Replace Planning Poker with expert judgment method
D. Allow discussion only after the Product Owner speaks

[admin]

✅ Correct Answer: A. Remind the team about silent voting in Planning Poker

🔍 Explanation:
A. Remind the team about silent voting in Planning Poker
✅ Best first step. Planning Poker is designed for independent, unbiased estimation. Silent voting ensures that all voices are heard equally and prevents anchoring. As Scrum Master, reinforcing this practice helps restore fairness and psychological safety.

B. Ask the senior member to estimate first every time
❌ Still risks anchoring. Even if the senior member goes first, others might still follow their estimate. The issue is not order but visibility before consensus.

C. Replace Planning Poker with expert judgment method
❌ Not appropriate. This reduces team collaboration. Planning Poker promotes consensus and team ownership, which are key in Agile.

D. Allow discussion only after the Product Owner speaks
❌ Irrelevant to the problem. The issue is peer influence during estimation, not the Product Owner’s role. The PO provides clarification but does not estimate.

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