Clarity & Capacity

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  3. System of Delivery
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  5. Governance
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  7. Clarity & Capacity
Validate the WHAT, drive down uncertainty of WHEN, and learn fast
Balancing capacity and demand while responsibly managing WIP improves efficiency and flow through the organization and optimizes time to value.

Do we have capacity available to work on it and can the value be realized?

Release Targeting

Purpose

  • ​Ensures that there is a plan to orchestrate and manage dependencies and balance capacity with demand effectively.
    • Ensure credible release planning
    • Identify & plan for dependencies
    • Balance capacity & demand

Inputs

  • Stacked-rank opportunities by portfolio
  • Funding allocation 
  • Capability assessments
  • Hypothesis outcomes
  • Hypothesis solutions

Activities

  • ​​Identify candidate features for planning and potential release
  • Identify and capture candidate features for the next release based on priority and dependency
  • Determine capacity
  • Plan risks & dependencies
  • Collaborate with the Product Team(s) to ensure a credible Release Plan
  • Create, communicate, and align on release objectives with stakeholders

Definition of Done

  • Epics scheduled for completion
  • Backlog for the defined planning horizon
  • Portfolio Roadmap sequenced and updated
  • Product Backlog updated
  • Portfolio Planning Sheet
  • Updated Roadmaps
  • Updated Risk Assessment
  • Release Planning Signoff – Initiative/Epic
  • Validated Epic Definition of Ready​​​​​​​​

RACI

  • R – Product Category Team, Product Line Team​
  • A – Product Category Team​
  • C – Product Management​
  • I – Delivery Team

Release Planning

Purpose

  • ​​​​​​Develop and agree to an achievable 12-week plan while
  • Develop a shared understanding of priorities, risks, impediments, dependencies, and assumptions
  • Explore the “steel thread,” MVP, and other release options
  •  Understand more about their feasibility as refinement conversations happen

Input

  • Story Writing (stubbing)
  • Story Mapping with the Delivery Team
  • Estimate features and stories
  • Plan risks & dependencies
  • Define test plans
  • Ongoing Feature refinement

Activities

  • Elaborate stories from features
  • Identify and plan risks & dependencies​ into the release schedule
  • User stories are prioritized and mapped into sprints
  • Teams aligned on acceptance criteria​

Definition of Done

  • Story stubs assigned to the Delivery Team for refinement
  • Visible Feature Map
  • Initial Release Plan
  • Updated risk  and dependency lists
  • Spikes identified
  • Stories Named
  • System Test Plan
  • Integration Test Plan
  • Regression Test Plan
  • Solution Design Package​​​​

RACI

  • R – Product Line Team, Delivery Team​
  • A – Product Line Team​
  • C- Delivery Team​
  • I – Product Category Team

Feature Ready

Purpose

  • ​Features are ready for development​
  • Credible plan exists​
  • Feature intent identified

Inputs

  • Validate feature intent for Epic
  • Make release commitment
  • Refine estimates and adjust the roadmap

Activities

  • ​​Features are ready for development
  • Credible plan exists
  • Feature intent identified

Definition of Done

  • Feature backlog
  • Features prioritized
  • Spikes planned
  • Release Defined
  • UAT Plan Defined
  • Feature Definition of Ready Validated

RACI

  • R –Product Line Team, Delivery Team​
  • A – Product Line Team​
  • C – Delivery Team​
  • I – Product Category Team

Make Ready

Purpose

  • Ready the backlog​

Input

  • Story Mapping with the Product Team
  • Create stories in the defined format
  • Create acceptance criteria in the defined format
  • Provide additional documentation as needed​

Activities

  • ​​Prepare the backlog

Definition of Done

  • User Story is defined with scenarios
  • Acceptance Criteria is complete
  • Architecture Artifacts
  • UX Design, Wireframe Artifacts
  • Story Point Estimate
  • Story Definition of Ready Validated

RACI

  • R – Delivery Team, Product Line Team​
  • A – Delivery Team​
  • C – Product Line Team​
  • I – Product Category Team

Story Ready

Purpose

  • Stories ready for delivery teams

Inputs

  • User Story is defined with scenarios
  • Acceptance Criteria is complete
  • Architecture artifacts
  • UX Design, Wireframe artifacts
  • Story Point Estimate
  • Story Definition of Ready validated

Activities

  • Tie acceptance criteria to feature acceptance​
  • Revise Level of Value​​

Definition of Done

  • ​​A clearly defined user and goal
  • Stories meet INVEST criteria
  • C​​lear Acceptance Criteria
  • Tasks defined
  • Task Hours estimated
  • Sprint planning
  • Story can be developed and unit tested in 1-4 days

RACI

  • R – Delivery Team, Product Line Team​
  • A – Delivery Team​
  • C – Product Line Team​
  • I – Product Category Team