Moderator Guide

This guide helps team members create and manage Planning Poker estimation sessions as moderators.

👨‍💼 What is a Moderator?

A moderator is a team member who:

• Creates new Planning Poker sessions
• Manages session settings (issues, participants, decks, timers)
• Controls session flow (reveal cards, save estimates, start over)
• Finishes sessions when estimation is complete
• Counts toward subscription limits (see Subscription for details)

Moderators are typically Scrum Masters, Product Owners, or team leads who facilitate estimation sessions.

🚀 Creating a Session

Step 1: Navigate to Planning Poker

1. Click Planning Poker in the YouTrack main menu
2. Click "Create New Session" button

Step 2: Configure Session Settings

You'll see a session creation form with the following options:

Session Name

• Required: Give your session a descriptive name
• Examples: "Sprint 23 Backlog Estimation", "Q1 Feature Planning", "Bug Triage Estimation"
• Tip: Use names that help participants identify the session purpose

Session Visibility (paid plans only)

Choose session visibility:

• Public: All users can see the session in the session list
• Private: Only participants (moderators, estimators, spectators) can see the session

Select Estimation Field

Choose where estimates will be saved in YouTrack:

• Integer Fields - Any integer custom field
• Float Fields - For decimal estimates (0.5, 1.5, 2.5)
• Period Fields - For time-based estimates (hours, days)
• Enum Fields (single or multi-value) - You can use enum options as cards

Enum Fields as Cards

When you select an enum field, the application can optionally use the enum's options as estimation cards. This is perfect for custom scales like T-Shirt sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL).

Select Session Deck

Choose a card deck for estimation:

1. Default Deck: 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 21, 34, 40, 55, 100, ?, ☕
2. Standard Fibonacci: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, ?, ☕
3. Modified Fibonacci: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 40, 80, 100, ?, ☕
4. Power of 2: 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, ?, ☕
5. Natural Numbers: 0-20, ?, ☕

Customize Your Deck: Click on individual cards to exclude them from the session. Excluded cards appear grayed out and won't be available for voting.

Deck Customization

If your team doesn't use certain values (like 0.5 or 100), click on those cards to remove them. This simplifies the voting interface for estimators.

Assign Participants

Assign team members to roles:

• Moderators: Can create sessions and control session flow (you're automatically added)
• Estimators: Participate in voting
• Spectators: Observe without voting

Step 3: Create Session

1. Review all settings
2. Click "Create Session" button
3. To see your session, click on the session name in the session list

Step 4: Add Issues to Backlog

After creating the session, add issues from YouTrack to estimate:

1. Click "Add Issues" button on the session page
2. Search or filter issues from your YouTrack backlog
3. Select issues to add to the session
4. Issues appear in the session backlog list
5. Alternatively, use the quick add feature by typing issue IDs separated by commas

Tips:

• You can add issues at any time during the session
• Issues can be reordered by dragging and dropping
• You can remove issues that are no longer needed

🎮 Managing an Active Session

Session Interface Overview

As a moderator, you'll see additional controls not available to estimators:

Moderator Controls:

• Backlog Management: Add/remove issues from the backlog
• Issue Navigation: Move between issues in the backlog
• Reveal Cards: Show all votes simultaneously
• Save Estimate: Save the final consensus estimate to YouTrack
• Start Over: Reset votes for the current issue
• Timer Controls: Start or reset the estimation timer
• Session Management: Manage participants, finish session

Facilitating Estimation

1. Select the First Issue

• The first issue in your backlog is automatically selected
• Issue details appear in the main panel
• Estimators can now vote

2. Facilitate Discussion

• Encourage team to discuss the issue
• Clarify requirements and acceptance criteria
• Answer questions about scope or technical approach
• Optionally start a timer to keep discussion focused
• When timer expires, all votes are revealed

Timer Options:

• Auto-start: Timer starts automatically when issue is selected
• Manual start: You control when the timer starts
• Duration: Set any duration in seconds (e.g., 120 seconds, 300 seconds)

Using Timers Effectively

Timers help keep discussions focused, but don't be too rigid. If the team needs more time for important discussion extend the timer.

3. Monitor Voting Progress

Watch the estimators status panel to see:

• Who has voted (checkmark indicator)
• Who's still thinking
• Who's online

4. Reveal Cards

Once all estimators have voted:

1. Click "Reveal Cards" button
2. All votes are displayed simultaneously
3. Estimators can see everyone's estimates
4. If timer was running, it stops automatically and cards are revealed

What to Look For:

• Consensus: Most estimates are similar (e.g., 5, 5, 8)
• Divergence: Estimates vary widely (e.g., 2, 8, 20)

5. Facilitate Consensus Discussion

If Estimates Align:

• Quick consensus is likely
• Ask if everyone agrees on the most common value
• Save the estimate and move to the next issue

If Estimates Diverge:

• Ask team members with highest and lowest estimates to explain their reasoning
• Facilitate discussion about assumptions, risks, or technical approach
• Look for new information that changes understanding
• Consider re-estimating after discussion

Divergent Estimates Are Valuable

Wide variation in estimates often reveals important information about the task. Don't rush to consensus—let the discussion surface valuable insights.

6. Save the Estimate

Once the team reaches consensus:

1. Select the final estimate value
2. Click "Save & next" button
3. The estimate is automatically saved to the selected YouTrack field
4. The issue is marked as estimated in session backlog
5. The next issue is automatically selected. You can also click "Next Issue" button to move to the next issue in the backlog at any time

Consensus vs. Compromise

Aim for genuine consensus where everyone agrees, not just averaging numbers. If the team can't agree, it might indicate the issue needs more refinement before estimation.

Additional Moderator Features

Start Over

If the team wants to re-estimate an issue:

1. Click "Start Over" button
2. All votes for the current issue are cleared
3. Estimators can vote again

Use Cases:

• New information emerged during discussion
• Team wants to reconsider after consensus discussion
• Accidental reveal before everyone voted

Add Issues During Session

You can add issues at any time:

1. Click "Add Issues" button
2. Search and select issues from YouTrack
3. New issues are added to the backlog
4. Alternatively, you can add issues by typing issue IDs in quick add field and pressing Enter

Remove Issues

Remove issues that are no longer needed:

1. Find the issue in the backlog list
2. Click the remove icon
3. Issue is removed from the session (estimates are preserved if already saved)
4. Alternatively, you can remove current issue by clicking the remove icon in the moderator panel

Reorder Issues

Change the order of issues in the backlog:

1. Drag and drop issues in the backlog list
2. Order is updated for all participants

Hide Estimated Issues

Toggle "Hide Estimated" to:

• On: Hide issues that have been estimated (cleaner view)
• Off: Show all issues including estimated ones

Manage Participants

During the session, you can:

• Add Participants: Invite additional estimators or spectators
• Remove Participants: Remove participants who are no longer needed
• Change Roles: Convert estimators to spectators or vice versa

Moderator Changes

You cannot remove yourself as a moderator while the session is active. At least one moderator must remain in the session.

🏁 Finishing a Session

When last issue is estimated:

1. Click "Save & finish" button
2. Confirm you want to finish the session
3. Session is marked as finished and moved to the finished sessions list

What Happens:

• Session is no longer active
• Participants can no longer vote
• Session remains visible in the finished sessions list
• All estimates are preserved in YouTrack

Session History

Finished sessions are preserved for reference. You can view past sessions to see what was estimated and when.

📊 Session Management

Viewing Active Sessions

Navigate to Planning Poker to see:

• Active Sessions: Sessions that are currently active
• Finished Sessions: Completed sessions
• Search bar to find sessions
• Sort by any column
• By clicking "Remove" icon you can remove the session

Remove Session

Removing a session is possible only if the user is moderator of the session.

🎯 Best Practices for Moderators

Before the Session

1. Prepare the Backlog: Review and refine issues before the session
2. Set Clear Goals: Know what you want to estimate and why
3. Invite Participants: Ensure all necessary team members are invited
4. Choose the Right Deck: Select a deck that matches your team's estimation scale

During the Session

1. Set the Tone: Create a safe environment for honest estimation
2. Facilitate, Don't Dominate: Guide discussion without imposing your opinion
3. Keep It Moving: Don't let discussions drag on too long
4. Encourage Participation: Ensure quieter team members share their perspectives
5. Focus on Learning: Use divergent estimates as learning opportunities
6. Respect the Timer: Use timers to keep discussions focused, but be flexible

Facilitating Discussion

1. Start with Context: Briefly explain the issue before voting
2. Encourage Questions: Create space for clarification before voting
3. Ask for Reasoning: When estimates diverge, ask "why?" not "who's right?"
4. Look for Patterns: Notice if certain types of issues consistently have divergent estimates
5. Build Consensus: Help the team reach agreement, don't force it

Common Moderator Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Voting as a Moderator: Moderators can vote, but be careful not to anchor the team ❌ Rushing Consensus: Don't push for quick agreement when discussion is valuable ❌ Ignoring Outliers: Pay attention to extreme estimates—they often reveal important insights ❌ Over-explaining: Let the team discuss; don't lecture about the "right" estimate ❌ Skipping Discussion: Even when estimates align, briefly confirm everyone's reasoning

🔧 Troubleshooting

Estimates Not Saving

Possible causes:

• Field doesn't exist or was deleted
• Insufficient permissions to update field
• Field type mismatch
• Field not added to the project

Solutions:

1. Verify field exists in YouTrack
2. Check permissions for field updates
3. Ensure field type matches session configuration
4. Try creating a new session with a different field
5. Verify field is added to the project

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