In-Person vs Online Planning Poker: Pros and Cons

As remote and hybrid work reshape how teams collaborate, choosing between in-person and online planning poker has become critical. Your format choice directly impacts estimation accuracy and team engagement—whether you're fully distributed, co-located, or somewhere between.

This guide compares both approaches, weighs their benefits and drawbacks, explores hybrid solutions, and offers practical transition strategies for agile teams.

Understanding the Two Approaches

In-person planning poker brings team members into the same room with physical card decks. Each person holds cards with numbers representing story points. When estimating a task, everyone places their chosen card face down and reveals simultaneously.

Online planning poker recreates this digitally. Team members join a web-based platform where they select and reveal estimates in real-time. Modern tools like Planning Poker offer synchronization, voting history, and seamless integration with project management systems.

Both approaches follow the same core principles: simultaneous revelation to prevent anchoring bias, discussion of outliers, and consensus-based estimation. The medium differs, affecting team dynamics, logistics, and outcomes significantly.

Advantages of In-Person Planning Poker

Physical sessions offer distinct benefits that digital tools struggle to replicate.

Rich Non-Verbal Communication

Same-room collaboration captures body language, facial expressions, and subtle reactions video calls miss. A raised eyebrow at an estimate, someone leaning forward during discussion, or hesitation before choosing a card—these cues help facilitators identify unspoken disagreement or reluctance.

Spontaneous Collaboration

Physical settings spark natural side conversations. Two developers discuss technical approaches while the product owner clarifies requirements nearby. These organic moments surface insights that structured video calls often miss.

Zero Technical Barriers

No frozen screens, dropped audio, or connectivity issues. Setup takes seconds: distribute cards, write stories on a whiteboard, start estimating.

Natural Focus

Physical presence in a dedicated space minimizes distractions. Team members are less tempted to multitask or check emails. Social accountability keeps everyone engaged in collaborative estimation.

Faster Onboarding

New teams benefit from hands-on facilitation. Demonstrating the process physically, explaining card values in person, and coaching through early rounds with immediate feedback accelerates learning.

Disadvantages of In-Person Planning Poker

Physical sessions carry significant limitations for modern teams.

Geographic Constraints

In-person sessions require everyone in the same location. For distributed teams across cities or countries, this isn't practical. Even local teams struggle when members work flexible schedules or from different offices.

Scheduling Friction

Coordinating in-person attendance is harder than virtual meetings. Commute times, office hours, personal commitments, and schedule changes complicate coordination—often forcing sessions to proceed without full participation.

Accessibility Barriers

Physical requirements exclude team members with mobility challenges, childcare responsibilities, or health considerations. This reduces diverse perspectives that drive better estimates.

Missing Documentation

Physical cards leave no record. You can't review who voted what, how estimates evolved across rounds, or what discussions led to decisions—making it hard to learn from past estimations.

Hidden Costs

Same-location sessions mean office space, travel expenses, and commute time. Even co-located teams lose productivity gathering everyone and interrupting workflow.

Advantages of Online Planning Poker

Digital tools have become the go-to choice as remote work shifts from exception to norm.

Work From Anywhere

Distributed teams collaborate seamlessly. A developer in Berlin, product owner in San Francisco, and QA specialist in Tokyo join the same real-time session—no travel required. This flexibility works for hybrid teams too, where some work remotely on certain days.

Simpler Scheduling

Team members join from their current location without commute time. Finding slots across schedules and time zones becomes feasible. Some platforms even support asynchronous estimation for extreme time differences.

Built-In Analytics

Digital platforms automatically capture everything: who voted what, rounds taken, final consensus, and discussion notes. This data helps you track estimation accuracy and improve calibration over time—no extra effort required.

Better Accessibility

Online tools offer keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, customizable text sizes, and high-contrast modes. Chat features create multiple participation channels beyond verbal discussion—features physical sessions can't match.

Seamless Integration

Modern tools connect with Jira, Linear, GitHub, and other platforms. Import unestimated stories, vote on them, automatically sync final estimates back to your backlog—eliminating manual transcription errors.

Standardized Experience

Every team member gets the same interface and features regardless of location. The card deck stays complete, voting works consistently, functionality never varies. Physical sessions can't match this reliability.

Disadvantages of Online Planning Poker

Digital sessions bring their own set of challenges.

Technology Dependence

Stable internet is required for everyone. Network problems, platform outages, browser issues, or bugs disrupt sessions. Even minor glitches—frozen video or dropped connections—break flow and kill engagement.

Limited Non-Verbal Cues

Video captures facial expressions but misses body language and subtle signals that inform in-person interaction. Gallery view, screen fatigue, and video limitations make it harder to read the room.

Distraction Temptation

Participants join from personal workspaces where emails, messages, and other tasks beckon. Divided attention reduces collaboration quality and leads to rushed estimates. Appearing engaged while distracted is easier online than in physical meetings.

Screen Burnout

According to research on remote work, back-to-back video calls drain energy differently than in-person interaction. For teams already spending hours on Zoom or Teams, another virtual session feels exhausting—reducing the energy planning poker needs.

Fewer Organic Moments

Digital tools handle formal voting well but miss informal collaboration. Quick developer side chats, impromptu whiteboard sketches, organic knowledge sharing during breaks—these happen less naturally online.

Hybrid Approaches: Best of Both Worlds

Smart teams blend both formats instead of picking sides.

Digital Tools for Mixed Teams

When some team members are in-office and others remote, everyone joins the digital session—even people sitting next to each other. This creates parity. Everyone gets the same interface and voting experience, preventing remote members from feeling like second-class participants.

Physical Cards, Digital Records

Some teams use physical cards for voting but log results in online tools. This preserves in-person dynamics while capturing documentation for future reference—ideal for co-located teams who value face-to-face interaction but need historical data.

Format by Context

Choose format based on the session. Major planning for new initiatives? Meet in person to maximize alignment. Routine sprint planning for backlog items? Go digital for convenience.

Remote-First with Periodic Meetups

Primarily remote teams schedule quarterly in-person gatherings that include planning poker alongside team building. These intensive sessions build relationships and shared context that enhance subsequent virtual collaboration.

How to Choose the Right Approach

Several factors determine which format fits your team.

Geographic Distribution

Distributed teams need digital tools—there's no alternative. Even one remote member makes virtual sessions necessary for inclusive participation. Co-located teams should honestly assess whether consistent in-person attendance is realistic.

Work Culture Alignment

Teams already comfortable with remote collaboration will adapt naturally to online planning poker. Organizations that prioritize in-person interaction and maintain collaborative spaces might prefer physical sessions—as long as logistics support it.

Technical Infrastructure

Does everyone have reliable internet and appropriate devices? Limited connectivity makes in-person sessions more practical. Teams already using modern project management tools will find online planning poker straightforward.

Accessibility Requirements

When team members face mobility challenges, childcare constraints, or health considerations, digital tools become essential. Consider future hiring too—remote-friendly practices expand your talent pool.

Data Needs

Teams focused on improving estimation accuracy over time need the automatic documentation digital tools provide. If estimates serve their immediate purpose without historical analysis, documentation matters less.

Transitioning Between Formats

Moving from physical to virtual sessions? These strategies smooth the transition.

Pick the Right Platform

Evaluate tools based on your needs: integration with existing systems, team size support, budget fit. Try Planning Poker for real-time synchronization, customizable decks, and seamless Linear/Jira integration.

Test Both Formats Side-by-Side

Run a few sessions both ways during transition—physical cards and digital tools simultaneously. This builds comfort with technology while proving the core process stays the same.

Set Video Standards

Establish clear norms: cameras on, minimize distractions, good audio/lighting. Facilitate actively so everyone participates equally in discussions.

Train Before Launch

Let team members learn the tool before real sprint planning. Create reference guides or run a practice session with low-stakes stories. Fix technical issues before time pressure hits.

Preserve What Works

The medium changes, principles don't. Keep simultaneous revelation, outlier discussion, consensus-building—everything that made in-person sessions effective. Technology enhances these practices, not replaces them.

Collect Honest Feedback

After initial online sessions, ask what worked and what frustrated the team. Adjust your approach, switch tools if needed, or modify facilitation based on real experience.

Both Formats Have Their Place

Neither format will replace the other. Both serve different teams and contexts well, depending on distribution, culture, technical capability, and work nature.

The best teams develop fluency in both and choose pragmatically. They know effective estimation comes from collaborative process, thoughtful discussion, and alignment—not the medium facilitating it.

Whether you gather around a conference table or join from distributed locations, core principles stay constant: leverage diverse perspectives, discuss differences constructively, build shared understanding.

Your format choice matters less than your commitment to collaborative estimation, continuous improvement, and strong team communication. According to research from the Agile Alliance, planning poker's value comes from conversation and consensus, not cards or screens.

Ready to try online planning poker? Planning Poker offers an intuitive platform for modern agile teams—fully remote, hybrid, or just starting with virtual estimation. Start your first session in minutes and see how digital tools can enhance your team's estimation process.