Bad estimates lead to missed deadlines, bloated backlogs, and frustrated teams. The good news? There are proven Agile estimation techniques that can make planning faster, fairer, and more accurate. That’s why we created the Agile team’s comprehensive guide to acing estimations — a playbook with five practical methods you can put into practice today.
Download the guide to learn how Agile teams use Planning Poker, Async estimation, Hybrid sessions, Relative estimation, and Bucket Sizing to improve backlog management.
What you’ll learn
- Why Agile estimation matters and how it impacts sprints and delivery
- Step-by-step instructions for five estimation methods: Planning Poker, Async Poker, Hybrid Poker, Relative Estimation, and Bucket Sizing
- Pros and cons of each method, and when to use them
- How to run estimation sessions for distributed or hybrid teams
- How to make estimation a collaborative exercise, not a bottleneck
- Cheat sheets and tips for making estimates more consistent and actionable
Stop guessing, start estimating smarter
This guide helps Agile teams:
- Eliminate backlog headaches with structured estimation sessions
- Choose the right estimation method for their team’s maturity and setup
- Run faster planning meetings with less confusion
- Build shared understanding across devs, testers, designers, and product owners
- Use tools like Agile Poker for Jira to streamline estimation for co-located and distributed teams
This guide is designed for:
- Scrum Masters who are looking to run smoother sprint planning sessions, reduce debate fatigue, and keep ceremonies on track.
- Product owners responsible for backlog grooming who want to align teams on priorities, improve forecasting, and get stakeholder buy-in.
- Agile coaches helping multiple teams who are looking to standardize estimation practices and train teams on proven methods.
- Jira administrators supporting Agile teams who want to enable tools like Agile Poker, configure estimation sessions, and reduce admin overhead.
Download the Agile team’s comprehensive guide to acing estimations
Ready to make sprint planning less painful and more predictable?
Download the guide to explore five proven estimation methods and start improving your backlog today.
Fill out the form to download your copy.
Built for Agile teams in the real world
Written by Appfire and drawing on years of Agile team experience, this guide doesn’t just explain estimation methods, it shows you how to put them into practice with clear examples, session formats, and tool recommendations.
To ensure Appfire is providing and delivering the most up-to-date and best information to our users that depend on us, this article has also been expertly reviewed by Shane Garnett.
Shane Garnett is a Senior Solutions Advisor at Appfire, specializing in BigPicture, Dashboard Hub, and Workflow & Automation apps. With 25 years of IT experience, he partners with customers to identify the right solutions for their business needs — helping teams adapt, scale, and succeed in a constantly evolving world.