estimio User Guide

Welcome to estimio! This guide will help you get started with creating planning poker sessions, joining as a guest, using AI features, and connecting to Jira.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started
2. Creating a Session
3. Joining as a Guest
4. Voting and Consensus
5. AI Features
6. Jira Integration
7. Tips and Best Practices
8. Troubleshooting

Getting Started

What is estimio?

estimio is a free online Planning Poker tool designed for agile teams to estimate user stories together. It uses the Planning Poker methodology with Fibonacci-based story points (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100).

Key Features

• ✅ Real-time collaboration - See votes update instantly
• ✅ Guest access - No signup required to join sessions
• ✅ Jira integration - Import stories from Jira Cloud or Server
• ✅ AI-powered suggestions - Get story point estimates using Google Gemini
• ✅ Consensus calculation - Automatic median, average, min, max
• ✅ Multi-story sessions - Estimate multiple stories in one session
• ✅ Firewall-friendly - Works behind corporate firewalls

Creating a Session

Step 1: Sign Up or Log In

1. Visit the estimio homepage at www.estimio.ch
2. Click "Sign Up" to create a free account, or "Log In" if you already have one
3. Complete email verification (check your inbox for the verification link)

Note: You can also use estimio as a guest without creating an account, but you'll need an account to create sessions and access advanced features.

Step 2: Create a New Session

1. Click "Start a Game" or "Create Session" on the homepage
2. Enter your name (this will be your moderator name)
3. Optionally enter a session title (e.g., "Sprint 23 Planning")
4. Choose your story source:
   • Manual: Enter stories manually
   • Jira Sprint: Import from Jira (requires Jira connection)
   • Screenshot: Upload a screenshot and extract story titles using OCR
5. Click "Create Session"

Step 3: Share the Session

1. Once your session is created, you'll see a 6-character session code at the top
2. Share this code with your team members
3. They can join by:
   • Entering the code on the homepage
   • Using a direct link (if you share the URL)

Step 4: Start Planning

1. Enter or update the story title in the story banner
2. Wait for all participants to vote
3. Click "Reveal Votes" when ready
4. Review the consensus statistics
5. Click "Next Story" to move to the next item
6. Repeat until all stories are estimated

Tips for Moderators

• Share the session code early: Give your team the code before the meeting starts
• Use Jira integration: Connect your Jira account to import stories automatically
• Enable AI features: Turn on Gemini AI in your profile settings for automatic story point suggestions
• Keep sessions focused: One story at a time for better discussion
• Use the demo: Try the demo session first to familiarize yourself with the interface

Joining as a Guest

Option 1: Using Session Code

1. On the homepage, click "Join Session"
2. Enter the 6-character session code provided by the moderator
3. Enter your display name (this is how others will see you)
4. Click "Join"

Option 2: Direct Link

1. If the moderator shared a direct link, click it
2. You'll be taken directly to the join form
3. Enter your name and click "Join"

Guest Features

What guests CAN do:

• ✅ Join sessions with a code
• ✅ Vote on stories
• ✅ View results and consensus
• ✅ See AI suggestions (if enabled by moderator)
• ✅ View participant list

What guests CANNOT do:

• ❌ Create new sessions
• ❌ Import from Jira
• ❌ Access session history
• ❌ Configure AI settings
• ❌ Manage session settings

Voting and Consensus

How to Vote

1. Once you've joined a session, you'll see the current story
2. Click on a Planning Poker card to cast your vote:
   • 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100 - Story point values
   • ? - I don't know / Need clarification
   • ☕ - Break / Coffee time
3. Your vote will be recorded and visible to the moderator
4. You can change your vote by clicking a different card

Understanding Consensus

After votes are revealed, estimio calculates:

• Median: The middle value when votes are sorted
• Average: The mean of all votes
• Min/Max: The lowest and highest votes
• Best Estimate: The Planning Poker card closest to the median
• Spread Warning: Shown if votes diverge too much (max/min > 4)

Best Practices for Voting

• Don't discuss before voting: Vote independently first
• Use Fibonacci sequence: Stick to the standard cards (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100)
• Ask questions: Use "?" if you need clarification
• Discuss after reveal: Talk about differences after seeing all votes
• Re-vote if needed: Reset and vote again if discussion changes understanding

AI Features

estimio includes AI-powered features to help with story estimation using Google's Gemini AI.

Enabling AI Features

1. Go to Profile (click your email in the top right)
2. Scroll to "Gemini AI Assistant"
3. Toggle the switch to "Enabled"
4. AI features will now be available in your sessions

Note: AI features require you to be logged in. Guests cannot enable or use AI features.

AI Story Point Estimation

When AI is enabled, the system will:

1. Automatically estimate story points for each story
2. Display suggestions in the voting panel with a confidence level
3. Show reasoning for complex stories
4. Learn from history - Uses past estimates to improve suggestions

The AI vote appears as a participant with a "Gemini" badge and is included in consensus calculations.

AI Summary Generation

For Jira-connected stories, AI can generate structured summaries:

• One-sentence overview: Quick summary of the story
• Key constraints: Important limitations or requirements
• Acceptance criteria: Condensed acceptance criteria
• Risks and dependencies: Potential issues or blockers
• Technical difficulty: Score from 1-10 with visual indicator

Click "Refresh AI Summary" to regenerate the summary.

AI Complexity Prediction

Before voting, AI provides:

• Suggested story points based on complexity analysis
• Confidence level (low/medium/high) with progress bar
• Similar past stories count (if historical data exists)
• Team average estimates (if available)
• Expandable explanation with reasoning

Important: AI suggestions are advisory only. Always use team consensus for final estimates.

AI Limitations

• ⚠️ AI estimates are suggestions only - always use team consensus
• ⚠️ AI may not understand domain-specific context
• ⚠️ Complex stories may have lower confidence
• ⚠️ Requires internet connection and API availability
• ⚠️ Rate limited to 20 requests per minute per user

Jira Integration

Connect your Jira account to import sprints and stories directly into planning sessions.

Setting Up Jira Connection

1. Go to Profile → Jira Integration
2. Select your Jira type:
   • Jira Cloud: For cloud-hosted Jira instances (atlassian.net)
   • Jira Server / Data Center: For self-hosted instances

Jira Cloud Setup

1. Enter your Jira Cloud organization domain:
   • Example: If your Jira is at yourcompany.atlassian.net, enter yourcompany
   • Do NOT include .atlassian.net or https://
2. Enter your email address (used for Jira login)
3. Enter your API token:
   • Go to Atlassian Account Settings
   • Click "Create API token"
   • Give it a label (e.g., "estimio")
   • Copy the token immediately (you won't see it again)
   • Paste it in estimio
4. (Optional) Enter Story Points Field Name:
   • For company-managed projects: Usually "Story Points"
   • For team-managed projects: Usually "Story point estimate"
   • Leave blank to use default
5. Click "Test Connection" to verify
6. Click "Save" if test succeeds

Jira Server / Data Center Setup

1. Enter your Jira base URL:
   • Example: https://jira.yourcompany.com
   • Include the full URL with https://
2. Enter your username (Jira username, not email)
3. Enter your password or Personal Access Token
4. (Optional) Enter Story Points Field Name or custom field ID
5. Click "Test Connection" to verify
6. Click "Save" if test succeeds

Importing Stories from Jira

1. When creating a session, select "Jira Sprint" as the source
2. Select your Jira connection (if you have multiple)
3. Choose a project from the dropdown
4. Select a sprint (or choose "Backlog" for unassigned issues)
5. Click "Import"
6. Stories will be added to your session in order

Working with Jira Stories

• Story details: Click on a story to see full details (key, creator, description, link)
• Navigate stories: Use "Next Story" to move through multiple stories
• Jira link: Click the Jira key to open the issue in Jira
• Story points: Current story points from Jira are shown (if available)

Jira Limitations

⚠️ Important: estimio is read-only with Jira:

What estimio CAN do:

• ✅ Import stories from sprints
• ✅ View issue details (title, description, acceptance criteria)
• ✅ Read current story points
• ✅ Display Jira links

What estimio CANNOT do:

• ❌ Update story points in Jira
• ❌ Create new issues
• ❌ Modify Jira data
• ❌ Sync changes in real-time

After Planning: You'll need to manually update story points in Jira after your planning session. estimio does not write back to Jira.

Story Points Field

estimio supports different story point field types:

• Company-managed projects: Uses "Story Points" field
• Team-managed projects: Uses "Story point estimate" field
• Custom fields: Enter the exact field name in connection settings

If you're unsure which field to use, try leaving it blank first. estimio will attempt to auto-detect the field.

Tips and Best Practices

For Moderators

1. Prepare in advance: Import stories from Jira before the meeting
2. Set expectations: Explain the Planning Poker process to new team members
3. Keep it moving: Don't spend too long on one story
4. Use AI wisely: AI suggestions can help, but don't rely on them exclusively
5. Document decisions: Take notes on why certain estimates were chosen
6. Review consensus: Discuss large spreads (max/min > 4)

For Participants

1. Vote independently: Don't be influenced by others' votes
2. Ask questions: Use "?" if you need clarification before voting
3. Be honest: Vote what you think, not what others expect
4. Participate in discussion: Share your reasoning after votes are revealed
5. Use breaks: Use ☕ if you need a break

Planning Poker Best Practices

1. Timebox stories: If a story is too large (100+), break it down
2. Use relative sizing: Compare stories to each other, not absolute time
3. Discuss differences: When votes differ significantly, discuss why
4. Re-vote after discussion: Reset and vote again if understanding changed
5. Track velocity: Use historical data to improve future estimates

Troubleshooting

Can't Join Session

Problem: Session code doesn't work or session not found

Solutions:

• Verify the session code is correct (6 characters, case-insensitive)
• Check if session has expired (sessions expire after 24 hours of inactivity)
• Ask the moderator to verify the session is still active
• Try refreshing the page
• Clear browser cache and cookies

Jira Connection Fails

Problem: Cannot connect to Jira or import fails

Solutions:

• For Jira Cloud: Verify organization domain is correct (just the company name, not full URL)
• For Jira Server: Verify base URL is correct and accessible
• Check API token is valid and not expired
• Ensure you have permission to access the project/sprint
• Test connection in Profile settings first
• Check if Jira requires VPN or special network access

AI Not Working

Problem: AI suggestions not appearing or errors

Solutions:

• Verify AI is enabled in Profile settings
• Check you're logged in (AI requires authentication)
• Ensure you have internet connection
• Check if API rate limit is reached (20 requests/minute)
• Try refreshing the page
• Contact support if issue persists

Votes Not Updating

Problem: Votes don't appear or update in real-time

Solutions:

• Check your internet connection
• Refresh the page
• Ensure you're using a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Check browser console for errors (F12 → Console)
• Try joining the session again

Session Expired

Problem: Session disappears or becomes unavailable

Solutions:

• Sessions expire after 24 hours of inactivity
• Create a new session if needed
• Export or note down estimates before session expires
• For important sessions, keep them active by having participants join regularly

Browser Issues

Problem: Page doesn't load or features don't work

Solutions:

• Use a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge recommended)
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Disable browser extensions that might interfere
• Try incognito/private mode
• Update your browser to the latest version

Getting Help

Support Resources

• Email: info@estimio.ch
• Documentation: User Guide, API Docs
• Issues: Report bugs via support email

Common Questions

Q: Is estimio free? A: Yes, estimio is completely free to use. You can use it as a guest or create a free account.

Q: Do I need to create an account? A: No, you can join sessions as a guest. However, creating an account unlocks features like session creation, Jira integration, and AI features.

Q: Can I export estimates? A: Currently, estimates are shown in the session. You can manually copy them or take screenshots. Export features may be added in the future.

Q: Does estimio save my data? A: Session data is stored temporarily (24 hours). Account data (Jira connections, settings) is stored securely. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Q: Can I use estimio offline? A: No, estimio requires an internet connection for real-time collaboration and AI features.

Q: Is my Jira data secure? A: Yes, Jira credentials are encrypted and stored securely. estimio only reads data and never modifies your Jira issues.

What's Next?

Now that you've learned the basics, explore these resources:

• AI Assistant Features: Learn how AI can help your team estimate more accurately
• Jira Integration Guide: Deep dive into connecting and using Jira
• OCR Story Import: Extract stories from screenshots automatically
• FAQ: Find answers to common questions
• Pricing: Learn about Pro features and free trial

Last updated: January 2025

Version: 1.0