Agile Planning Process

Indeed, Agile is relatively new compared to conventional project management approaches. Nevertheless, saying that it has made a big splash in Project Management will not be an overstatement. Of course, it started its journey in the manufacturing field. However, it has quickly been adopted by other industries as well. The other industries started to use this approach, understanding the iterative approach of Agile. Some organizations following this approach do not want to call it a methodology. But, some organizations argue that it is indeed a methodology. Many feel it can be defined as a philosophy as it is more of an approach. 

What are Agile Principles?

The Agile methodology has become a common approach to product management. It was developed using 12 key principles created by a team of software developers in 2001. The principles of the Agile methodology ensure that organizations prioritize the right things, such as adapting to change, collaboration, and customer satisfaction.

The 12 key principles of Agile can help organizations properly align product-development cycles. Through a reactive and flexible system, organizations can achieve better outcomes. Customers should be able to get the deliverables sooner, and they can provide feedback that the organization can rightly implement in future deliverables.

Agile Planning:

Agile product planning becomes involved when an organization plans to implement a product following Agile principles. This planning is essential in the present volatile business atmosphere. 

A famous adage says failing to plan is planning to fail. This saying from Alan Lakein, an expert in time management, will help you understand how important planning is in Product Management. Planning is part of most organizations' day-to-day operation, so its importance cannot be ignored.

How is Agile Product Planning Different from Conventional Waterfall Planning?

When considering the Agile planning approach, it is important to understand how Agile Product planning differs from the conventional waterfall approach.

Some decades ago, entrepreneurs spent much time framing detailed execution plans. It took years to plan things. However, this approach worked the best for many decades. Nevertheless, as markets became more dynamic, the requirements started to swap more regularly, and a fresh and more workable planning technique became essential for businesses in the 20th century. With knowledge improvement, this need turned more critical and obvious. Around five decades earlier, people were employed basically in factories. But, now, the jobs get done in offices in most businesses, and the need for Agile Planning that works has increased a lot these days.

The key difference between Agile planning and the conventional waterfall approach is that the former is more adjustable to changes and iterative, while the latter is a procedural huge planning process. Here, the thing to remember is that both these approaches carry their own virtues. You should frame a well-thought-out and detailed plan when engaging in any product like building or bridge construction. 

Steps in Agile Product Planning:

Product Planning in Agile Methodology involves five steps that will help better implement Agile methodology. These five steps are collectively referred to as Agile onion planning. You can understand it with ease from the picture below:                     

1. Product Vision:

The first and crucial step in Agile planning is product vision. It encompasses long-term goals that ensure all the teams involved in the project have a clear vision of what their end product will look like.

When the vision is explained after every Sprint, you can evaluate whether they are moving in the right direction or not. Further, it aids all team members in achieving the desired outcome successfully. So, the first step in Agile product planning is to have a big picture of your product. Also, in this step, you should define a vision clearly.

2. Agile Roadmap:

The second step in the Agile planning process is creating the Agile roadmap. In this step, you will plan a roadmap with milestones that your product should reach at different stages so that the end goal is easy to achieve. The Agile roadmap is the path that will help you achieve your product vision. 

The roadmap will offer strategies for Agile planning and provide key context for the team's everyday work with the end product.

3. Agile Release Planning:

This third step in the Agile planning process will help you understand the possible number of functionalities and the time required to develop them.

When you frame the release plan, you can identify the project's expected development in every Sprint.

4. Iteration Planning:

We discussed Sprint in the previous points. These Sprints are otherwise called iterations. They are small cycles with a duration of around a week to a month. Before deciding on a Sprint, you should remember one thing. The Sprint should be decided upon only after meeting stakeholders and team members. The purpose of this meeting is to identify the task load for the team members, the amount of work to be handled by each member of the team and the level of work that will be completed at the end of the Sprint cycle.

5. Daily Stand-ups:

This is the final step in the Agile onion planning process. It encompasses meeting the team members. This meeting can occur either at the close or the beginning of the day. When the meeting happens at the beginning of the day, it will discuss the previous day's accomplishments and what needs to be done today. On the other hand, when the meeting takes place at the end of the day, it will discuss what happened on this day and what should be achieved the next day.

The Best Practices in Agile Project Planning:

Now, you know the steps of the Agile planning onion process. But before you begin the first step, it is better to be aware of the best practices to follow when planning. In Agile Project Management, products are developed in the form of Sprints, so Sprint planning is one of the best practices.

Sprint Planning:

Sprint planning aims to identify the functionality and features that will be part of the upcoming iteration. Before the beginning of each Sprint, the development team members and the product owners should participate in a meeting to plan Sprint. At this time, they should review the backlog and user stories to identify the works that they should finish at the time of the Sprint. The good thing about Sprint planning is that it will produce a deeper level of detail. For instance, explaining each task's duration will also specify which tasks will be taken care of by whom. 

Here are other best practices to follow in the Agile planning process:

Task Planning:

After identifying the features, Agile team members must split them into tasks before taking them up. Here, the best practice is identifying the time judgments for each task. In case, you come across a split that will take more than a workday, you can split them into smaller works. This practice will help with the successful completion of tasks and will reduce uncertainty as well. It will even help with Agile estimation as evaluating the time needed to complete smaller tasks becomes simpler.

Agile Estimation:

Judging the time required for the completion of tasks can look like guesswork. However, following certain principles when estimating the time will make it possible. For instance, you can look at the past successful completion of tasks to estimate the time. For instance, if the teams could complete a specific number of tasks within a specific time in the past iteration, you can use this time as the estimation for the present and future iterations.  When estimating time, you should be realistic and not optimistic. Also, it is better to estimate for smaller tasks to make the estimation more of a reality than guesswork.

Development of User Stories:

Similar to Scrum Planning Process practices, Agile planning practices should include the development of user stories. User stories can be developed by keeping in touch with customers. When you do this, you can evaluate the overall project goal. It will even help you judge the overall goal of an iteration or Sprint. Knowing the goal, you can develop your user story/feature. Then, you can permit your precedents to lead you in choosing user stories/features to create during the forthcoming iteration.

Conclusion:

Indeed, effective backlog management, Agile scheduling, and fostering teamwork and collaboration are vital pillars of successful Agile process planning. Backlog management ensures that priorities are clear and the team always works on the most valuable tasks. Agile scheduling enables teams to adapt to changing priorities and deliverables, ensuring timely delivery and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, fostering a culture of teamwork and collaboration enhances communication, innovation, and overall productivity within the organization.
At Simpliaxis, we understand the importance of these practices and integrate them seamlessly into our Agile planning process. We ensure that projects are delivered efficiently and effectively by prioritizing backlog items, optimizing schedules, and fostering collaboration among team members. With Simpliaxis as your partner, you can rest assured that your Agile projects will be planned and executed precisely, leading to successful outcomes and satisfied stakeholders. By investing in Simpliaxis' Agile courses, you're not just learning theory—you're gaining invaluable insights and real-world expertise that will drive success in your Agile projects. Join us and unlock your full potential in Agile project management with Simpliaxis.