Async sessions

An Async Poker session lets everyone estimate when it suits them instead of all at the same time. Every issue is open for voting from the start, each person works through the list at their own pace, and a moderator then brings everyone together to review the results and save the final estimates.

Start an async session

In Create Session, the first step asks you to Choose Session Type. Pick Async Poker (“Asynchronous estimation with flexible timing and review cycles”). The session type is fixed after creation, so choose it before you create the session.

• Due date for estimates is on by default and starts at 17:00 tomorrow, in your time zone. Everyone sees it, and nothing is locked when it passes: it only helps everyone stay on track. Turn it off for a session with no due date.
• An async session has no timer and never reveals by itself: the votes are revealed when a moderator finishes voting.
• On a Jira site where SprintPoker for Jira is connected, an async session of Jira issues is in both apps, like a Poker session: people open their issues, vote, comment and review from either app, with one set of votes and comments. Where Create Session says Async sessions can’t be shared yet., the async session is played on Laya.net only.

Vote at your own pace

1. Open the sessionIf an async session is in progress, open to everyone in the workspace and not private, opening it seats you as a participant straight away. A private session lets in only the people invited to it.
2. Pick an issueSelect an issue in Session Issues to open it. Only your own view changes: nobody else’s moves. The first issue that still needs your estimate opens by default.
3. VoteClick a card to vote. Until a moderator finishes voting you can change your vote as often as you like, or press your card again to take it back.
4. Leave a comment (optional)Everyone who votes can leave one comment per issue, and change or delete it while voting is open.

Turn on Needs your estimate in Session Issues to list only the issues you haven’t estimated yet. The toolbar shows how far the current issue and the whole session have got, and the people panel shows each person’s progress.

Who sees what before the review

• Until a moderator finishes voting, other people see only that you voted, never your card.
• People who vote can read each other’s comments as they are written. Everyone else sees the comments once a moderator finishes voting.
• Nobody can edit or delete someone else’s comment, moderators included.

Review and save the estimates

When it is time to agree, a moderator presses Finish Voting. SprintPoker asks first, and names anyone who hasn’t estimated every issue. Finishing voting reveals every vote and switches the session to review mode:

• The moderator chooses the issue everyone sees, by selecting it in Session Issues.
• The moderator picks the Final estimate and presses Save & Next. The average of the numeric votes is offered, marked “(Recommended)”. The estimate is saved where the issue lives, exactly as in a live session: see where Save & Next saves the estimate.
• With Allow Updating Personal Estimates on (the default for async sessions), people who vote can still change their estimate for the issue under review with Update Estimation.
• Resume Voting opens voting again. Votes, comments and final estimates are kept.

After the last issue, All Issues Estimated offers Add More Issues and Finish Session; the moderator who saved the last estimate also sees the same Definition of Ready check as in a live session. A finished session is read-only; a moderator can open it again from the session’s ⋮ menu with Open Session.