The Quick Answer
Ideal session length?
60-90 minutes
Sweet spot for focus without burnout. Estimate 10-15 stories comfortably.
Maximum session length?
2 hours (with break)
Beyond 2 hours, quality collapses. Split into multiple sessions instead.
Stories per hour?
8-12 stories
Well-prepared teams with clear stories. Half that for complex or vague work.
How often to take breaks?
Every 45-60 minutes
5-minute break. Refresh brains. Come back sharper.
Planning poker sessions should be long enough to get accurate estimates, but short enough that people stay engaged. That's the theory. In practice, sessions range from 30 minutes to 3+ hours depending on a dozen factors.
This guide breaks down exactly what affects duration and how to find your team's sweet spot.
Factors That Affect Duration
Team size
+20% per 3 peopleImpact: 5 people = fast. 12 people = slow.
Each additional person adds 10-15% more discussion time. Sweet spot is 5-7 people.
Story complexity
2-15 min per storyImpact: Simple updates vs. architectural changes.
Well-defined stories estimate in 2-3 minutes. Vague epics can take 15+ minutes per item.
Team maturity
-50% over 2 monthsImpact: New teams debate. Experienced teams align.
First few sessions are learning curves. After 5-6 sessions, teams find their rhythm.
Preparation
-60% with prepImpact: Pre-read stories vs. cold reads.
Teams that read stories 24h early spend 60% less time on clarification during sessions.
Cross-functional mix
+30-40% for diversityImpact: Diverse perspectives = richer discussions.
Developers-only sessions are faster. Adding design, PM, QA adds depth but takes longer.
Tool friction
-10 min with good toolsImpact: Login screens kill momentum.
Every minute spent on tech issues is a minute not estimating. Zero-friction tools save 5-10 min per session.
Session Time Breakdown
Here's where time actually goes in a typical planning poker session:
Setup & Context
5-10 minutesTool setup, team joins, quick recap of estimation scale and ground rules.
Pro tip: Use a tool that requires zero setup. Share the room link in advance. Start on time.
Story Discussion
3-5 min per storyRead story, clarify requirements, discuss approach, identify dependencies.
Pro tip: Pre-share stories 24h early. Timebox discussions. Park deep dives for later.
Voting Rounds
1-2 min per storyEveryone votes, reveal cards, discuss outliers, re-vote if needed.
Pro tip: Silent voting prevents anchoring. Show cards simultaneously. Limit re-votes to 1-2 rounds.
Consensus Building
1-3 min per storyResolve disagreements, align on final estimate, document assumptions.
Pro tip: Ask highest and lowest voters to explain. Don't debate 3 vs 5 for more than 2 minutes.
Breaks
5 min per hourHuman brains need breaks. Estimation quality drops after 60 minutes straight.
Pro tip: Force breaks every 45-60 min. Walk away from screens. Come back refreshed.
Buffer & Wrap-up
5-10 minutesHandle overruns, final questions, confirm next session, export results.
Pro tip: Always book 15% more time than you think you need. Murphy's Law applies.
Real-World Session Examples
Here's what typical sessions look like for different team configurations:
Small team, simple sprint
30-45 minutesTeam: 5 people, all developers
Stories: 10 stories, well-defined
Breakdown: Setup: 5 min | Stories: 20-30 min (2-3 min each) | Wrap: 5 min
Typical cross-functional team
60-90 minutesTeam: 7-8 people, mixed roles
Stories: 12-15 stories, standard complexity
Breakdown: Setup: 10 min | Stories: 45-65 min (3-5 min each) | Break: 5 min | Wrap: 10 min
Large team, complex work
90-120 minutesTeam: 10-12 people, highly cross-functional
Stories: 15-20 stories, some vague
Breakdown: Setup: 10 min | Stories (first 10): 50 min | Break: 10 min | Stories (next 10): 50 min | Wrap: 10 min
Remote global team
75-90 minutesTeam: 8 people, multiple time zones
Stories: 10-12 stories, medium complexity
Breakdown: Setup: 15 min (tech issues) | Stories: 50-60 min | Breaks: 5 min | Wrap: 5-10 min
Signs You're Taking Too Long
Watch for these red flags that your sessions are dragging:
People multitasking visibly
What it means: Lost engagement. Quality estimates are impossible when people aren't focused.
What to do: Take a break or call it. Schedule another session for remaining stories.
Same person dominating every discussion
What it means: Either stories are unclear or facilitation is weak.
What to do: Rotate who explains stories. Use timers. Move on when beating dead horses.
Debates over small point differences
What it means: 3 vs 5 point debates that exceed 3 minutes are estimation theater.
What to do: Average it, round up, move on. Precision is an illusion anyway.
Last few stories get rubber-stamped
What it means: Mental fatigue. Estimates become worthless when people stop caring.
What to do: Stop the session. Come back fresh. Never push through fatigue.
Session regularly exceeds 2 hours
What it means: Either poor prep, unclear stories, or trying to estimate too much at once.
What to do: Split into multiple shorter sessions. Better two 60-min sessions than one 2-hour slog.
How to Speed Things Up
Tactical ways to cut session time without sacrificing estimate quality:
Pre-share stories 24 hours early
Saves 40-60% of discussion time
People read on their own time. Come to session ready to estimate, not discover.
Use visible timers per story
Cuts rambling discussions by 30%
5 minutes per story max. Timer creates urgency. Park deep technical dives for later.
Estimate only ready stories
Eliminates wasted time on unclear work
If acceptance criteria are vague, story isn't ready. Send it back, don't waste time guessing.
Keep sessions to 5-8 people
Reduces coordination overhead by 50%
Spectators can watch. Only people doing the work should vote.
Limit re-votes to one round
Saves 2-3 minutes per contentious story
Vote, discuss outliers, vote again, done. Third votes rarely change outcomes.
Use zero-friction tools
Saves 5-10 minutes per session
No logins, no setup, no "can you see my screen?" Just estimate.
Start exactly on time
Sets tone for efficiency
Waiting for stragglers trains people to be late. Start on time, every time.
Ban laptops (except facilitator)
Improves focus and reduces session time
Phones for voting only. Laptops invite multitasking. Focus = faster, better estimates.
The Bottom Line
There's no magic number for session length. A well-prepared team of 6 estimating clear stories can knock out 15 items in 45 minutes. A cross-functional team of 10 tackling vague epics might need 2 hours for the same number.
The real question isn't "how long should it take?" It's "are we getting value for the time we're spending?" If people are engaged, estimates are thoughtful, and you're surfacing hidden complexity— you're using time well, regardless of duration.
But if sessions routinely exceed 2 hours, people multitask, or the last stories get rubber-stamped— something's broken. Fix preparation, shrink the team, or split into multiple focused sessions.
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