Agile Planning Guide
Guidelines
Guidelines for planning in agile projects
Agile Planning Guidelines
This document provides planning guidance for software projects using common agile methodologies.
Project Features Considerations
- Core functionality
- User interface components
- Data management
- Integration requirements
- Security features
- Performance requirements
Scrum Sprint Planning
Sprint Planning Meeting Structure
1. Pre-meeting Preparation (Product Owner)
- Refine and prioritize the product backlog
- Ensure user stories have clear acceptance criteria
- Prepare sprint goal proposal
2. Sprint Planning Meeting (2 hours)
Part 1: What will we deliver? (60 minutes)
- Product Owner presents the sprint goal
- Team reviews and discusses high-priority backlog items
- Team asks clarifying questions about requirements
- Team commits to specific backlog items for the sprint
Part 2: How will we deliver it? (60 minutes)
- Team breaks down selected user stories into tasks
- Team estimates effort for each task
- Team identifies dependencies and potential blockers
- Final sprint backlog is confirmed
Kanban Planning Approach
Continuous Flow Planning
- No fixed iterations
- Work items pulled when capacity is available
- WIP limits for each workflow stage
- Regular replenishment meetings (weekly recommended)
Planning Components
- Backlog refinement sessions
- Class of Service definitions
- WIP Limits by column
- Service Level Expectations (SLEs)
Service Class Examples
- Feature Development (Standard Service)
- Production Issues (Expedited Service)
- Customer Requests (Fixed Delivery Date)
- Technical Debt (Intangible Service)
Sample Kanban Board
- Backlog
- Analysis
- Development (WIP: 2)
- Quality Assurance
- User Acceptance
- Done
Extreme Programming (XP) Planning
Release Planning
- Quarterly planning horizon
- User stories grouped into releases
- Velocity tracked in story points
- Regular customer involvement
Weekly Planning
- Weekly rather than bi-weekly iterations
- Stand-up planning meetings
- Pair programming assignments
- Test-first development planning
Planning Components
- Story writing sessions with customer
- Technical spike planning
- Pair rotation schedule
- Continuous integration checks
Testing Priorities
- Unit test coverage
- Integration testing
- Performance testing
- Security validation
- Compliance checks
Choosing the Right Approach
Use Scrum When:
- Clear project scope exists
- Regular deliverables are needed
- Team prefers structured sprints
Use Kanban When:
- Work is interrupt-driven
- Continuous flow is preferred
- Support work is prominent
Use XP When:
- Quality is paramount
- Frequent releases needed
- Strong technical focus required
Capacity Planning
- Each sprint is 2 weeks (10 working days)
- Team capacity calculation:
- 6 hours of productive development time per day per developer
- 3 developers × 6 hours × 10 days = 180 hours total capacity
- Reserve 20% for unexpected issues (36 hours)
- Actual sprint capacity: 144 hours
Sprint Planning Template
See the Sprint Planning Template for the standard planning document.
Definition of Ready
A user story is ready for sprint planning when: - It has a clear description following the “As a… I want… So that…” format - It has defined acceptance criteria - It’s been estimated by the team - All external dependencies have been resolved - It’s small enough to be completed in one sprint
Post-Sprint Planning
- Update sprint board in JIRA/Trello
- Share sprint goals and commitments with stakeholders
- Schedule any required technical discussions for complex items
- Begin the sprint with a kickoff meeting