Why Planning Fails and Why Agile Planning Works

What are the Agile Planning Benefits and why does Agile Planning work? Producing the Plan for a Project has always been among the key activities undertaken by the Project Manager. The complexities of what has to be Done, by whom, and when are itemised and arranged in a Project Plan. Milestones are inserted at vital stages, like the sign-off of Requirements by the Customer, or the completion of system Testing.

The Project spending plan is Estimated in great detail, hours and days of Effort are calculated, resources are assigned at Task level and dependences are recognized. A Project Plan is then agreed and signed off and the Project is started and run according to its contents. The Project Manager monitors and Manages the Project, Estimating the percentage completion of Tasks and reporting on progress routinely to interested Stakeholders.

Predictable Projects

This form of Planning Works well for Projects that are well-defined and predictable, like building construction, where you need to begin with developing the foundation. When it concerns Projects with a high degree of uncertainty, like Software Development, they can fail, even though there is an established Value chain for any Software Project. For example the SDLC (Software Development life-cycle) or the ALC (Asset Lifecycle). There are various types of failures, such as:-.

• The Project that was Estimated to cost 1 million and came in at 3 million.
• The 1 year Project that took 5 years to complete, and.
• The Project that came in on time and under budget but provided something that no-one wanted.

When it comes to Agile Planning, while a Project can fail, Project overrun on time or money can not take place. This is due to the fact that the Project is Time-Boxed and the resource costs are fixed. If an Agile Project is going off the rails for some factor, it can be halted until its trajectory is corrected or it can be cancelled immediately. This minimises the waste of cost and Effort. Most notably, an Agile Project is focused on providing the Product the Customer wants and needs, so there should be no failure in this respect.

Why Traditional Planning can Fail.

One of the biggest drawbacks in Traditional Planning is the lack of visibility. The Stakeholders are only included at the start and towards the end of the Project; between these points they are assured that the Project is “xx% complete” by the Project Manager. The problem is that the completion percentage does not indicate what is complete – are these the most critical Features or was all the straightforward Development Done first, leaving the difficult and complex Work till later?

Another issue is linked to the Requirements; in a Traditional Project, the Requirements are elicited and Documented in great detail in collaboration with the Stakeholders, who then sign them off. That is the last the Stakeholders see until a finished Product is delivered to them for User Testing. As they were not involved in the Development at any stage, they did not have the Opportunity to request that a Feature be Changed; what might seem fine in writing can be flawed when it is translated into actual Code, because it is hard to visualize the Concept. This is where Agile has a clear benefit; the Stakeholder is included all the way, and the order of Development is most critical and complicated Feature first (the Feature with the greatest Value).

Agile Planning Benefits: Why Agile Planning has a High Success Rate.

Agile Planning factors in uncertainty; it is accepted that there will be Changes to the initial requirements. What is more, each and every single individual associated with the Project, from Stakeholders to the Scrum Team (Scrum Master, Product Owner and Development Team), plays an active part in Project Planning. This Planning varies from Estimating the Complexity of Work to committing to doing the Work. This is often portrayed as the Agile Planning “Onion”. As Agile Planning expects Change, the Planning is not exact, varying from the least accurate Plan at tactical level, through to daily Planning, which has the best accuracy, because the Team is Working with a 24-hour projection.

• Strategy.
• Product.
• Release.
• Sprint.
• Daily.

Rather of measuring Project efficiency by the number of activities finished along a timeline, an Agile Project’s development is based on Features delivered, beginning with the most vital Features. Instead of waiting till the end of the Project, the Stakeholders already have some Working Software halfway through the Project. What would typically happen is that, following Release 1, there would be requests for Change by the Stakeholders, now that the Concept is starting to take shape. So we could expect that Sprint 3 would take the Changes into account and the Stakeholders can inspect the results in Release 2.

It is clear that Agile Planning keeps the Product Development in alignment with Stakeholder expectations. In a worst-case scenario, the Stakeholders could choose at Release 1 to cancel the Project, based on Release 1. While there was expense and Effort involved, the loss is a fraction of that of the Traditional Project.

We found these books great for finding out more information on Agile Scrum:

Agile Planning Benefits.

Benefit 1:.

• Traditional.
  – The Plan is drawn up at the start of the Project. Any variances and Changes are prevented.
• Agile.
  – A rough Plan is assembled at the start of the Project. It is constantly Reviewed and modified during the Project, even every day.
• Comments.
  – The Plan is a living thing in Agile.

Benefit 2:.

• Traditional.
  – The Project Manager owns and shapes the Plan.
• Agile.
  – Everyone owns and forms the Plan.
• Comments.
  – Everyone in an Agile Team understands Project Planning.

Benefit 3:.

• Traditional.
  – Planning reporting and Review is periodic (e.g. weekly).
• Agile.
  – Planning is Reviewed constantly.
• Comments.
  – The daily Stand-Up Meeting makes sure that the Agile Plan is revised every 24 hours.

Benefit 4:.

• Traditional.
  – Delivery only takes place at the end.
• Agile.
  – Delivery takes place throughout the Project.
• Comments.
  – The Product starts forming early on in the Project, developing Stakeholder Confidence.

Benefit 5:.

• Traditional.
  – The Project is opaque.
• Agile.
  – The Project shows up through Burn-down Charts and early Releases.
• Comments.
  – Stakeholders are constantly notified.

Benefit 6:.

• Traditional.
  – The Project provides what was specified.
• Agile.
  – The Project delivers the most vital Features.
• Comments.
  – Agile is constrained by time-boxing and by a fixed small Team.

Benefit 7:.

• Traditional.
  – The Project can run past the original timeline.
• Agile.
  – The Project is time-boxed. It finishes on a defined date.
• Comments.
  – The focus is on what can be delivered in the time allowed.

Benefit 8:.

• Traditional.
  – More resources can be included if essential.
• Agile.
  – The Team size is repaired and stable.
• Comments.
  – Agile Teams Mature and coalesce throughout the Project.

Agile Planning Benefits: Conclusion.

There is a perception that Agile Projects have no Plan. This is totally untrue, it is just the nature of the Planning that is different. Only the short-term Work is definite, the Plan is only an Estimate for the long-term Work.

Planning in an Agile Scrum Project is pervasive; everyone takes part in the Planning and has a say. This contributes to a Project where development is understood and noticeable at any time. The Release of parts of the Product throughout the Project likewise develop Confidence and belief in the Project, both by Stakeholders and by the Team.