Models

Quarterly Planning

We use this to define goals for the upcoming quarter for each delivery area and determine whether there are any further considerations that must be made before the planned activity commences so that we can ensure our plan is realistic and will achieve value for the business.

Quarterly planning is when the business defines the goals for the quarter and their metrics for the teams to commit to a feature roadmap.

Dividing the year into quarters makes planning easier and more accurate, decreases risk and complexity, improves dependency mapping and provides an opportunity for a shorter feedback loop in case the prioritized features are not driving to the desired goals.

Benefits of quarterly plannning include:

  • Establishing face-to-face (virtual) communication among all team members and stakeholders

  • Building a social network the teams can depend upon

  • Aligning development to business goals with the business context, vision, and Team and Program objectives

  • Identifying dependencies and fostering cross-team collaboration

  • Matching demand to capacity and eliminating excess Work in Process (WIP)

  • Fast decision-making

The Quarterly Kick-Off session is held for all Major Play and BAU areas to share their goals for the coming quarter and plans to achieve these with our End to End teams and interested stakeholders so that everyone understands what we are seeking to achieve as One Team.

Intended Outcome All delivery teams are aligned with the direction for the coming quarter.

Day 1:

  1. Prepare the metrices on what has been delivered and what value did it drive, if we had objectives already defined then were we able to match the key results we expected to achieve (Did we achieve the Value/impact we expected if not then what happened, if so then how did it help us as an organization)

  2. List the items that might move to next quarter (be prepared to ask the question why to understand how can we have done this better during the day 1 of planning)

  3. Prepare the Collaboration board (Virtual or Physical more focused towards Virtual if we are planning to hold Virtual Day 2)

  4. Bring the risk forward to the risk board to ask what risks had occurred and what did we do about it (Did we mitigate it or resolved it before it could occur or Accepted the consequences)

  5. Did we change priorities if so then why (display the change in priority to ask the reason why in the board)?

  6. Run the workshop to define the cost of delay for each item (Must include relative estimation of Business Value, Risk reduction/Future Opportunities, Time Criticality)

Example Canvas from SAFe can be used before going into Quarterly Planning (this might stay the same of can be changed based on the market response we need to have)

Day 2:

  • Prepare the Business context to be shared with the key results achieved for the Quarter

  • Define what we would like to achieve in the next Quarter with Portfolio/Product/Solution vision

  • List of desired Outcomes for the quarter (Using Objectives and Key Results)

  • Ready Objectives & Key Results for Program level

  • Strategic & Portfolio Roadmap: How does Quarterly OKR's connect to Organizational OKR's

  • Metrics for the quarter - How are we going to measure our Key Results

  • Top priorities for the Quarter - How each AGP's help achieve the Key Results

  • Concept workshops planned and resulting work items estimated

  • Ready Collaboration boards for the areas to plan with RAID & ROAM included at area/program level

  • A refined list of AGP's t-shirt sized and teams already have a good idea about them

  • Define Program Team structure & send out invitations

  • Agenda sent to the relevant stakeholders 1 week prior with Start and Stop times, timeboxes, speaker callouts etc. If multiple time zones involved please take into account of that as well

  • Define the facilitators & the outcomes expected out of each breakout sessions

  • Facilitator understands context and mechanics of the event & has access to Facilitator guide if needed with support from their Supervisor if they are new to this (New to A&G or Facilitating this for the first time)

  • Technology/Infrastructure team involved to support the expected Objectives to be delivered

Multiple teams will be sent to their breakout rooms with one facilitator to start planning their quarter

What happens in the team breakout rooms:

  1. Teams will understand what is there in their backlog according to the priority

  2. Teams will do high level estimation at AGP level with T-shirt sizing if the work has not already been estimated

  3. Teams will define action items for each work item needed post the Day 2 of planning e.g. need concept workshop or detailed risk management planning etc.

  4. Teams will bring the items in the roadmap based on priority.

  5. Teams will updated the dependencies with other teams in the Program and organization wide

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