Planning & Estimation

Affinity Estimation Practitioner A fast way to size dozens of backlog items by silently sorting them into size groups on a wall. Capacity Planning Practitioner Working out how much time a team really has in a sprint before deciding how much work to take on. Cone of Uncertainty Practitioner Why early estimates are wildly uncertain, and how the range narrows as a project learns. Definition of Ready Practitioner An optional checklist a backlog item should meet before the team pulls it into a sprint. Forecasting Practitioner Predicting when work will be done using real delivery data, expressed as ranges rather than single dates. Ideal Days Practitioner An estimate of how long a task would take with no interruptions, used as an alternative to story points. Iteration Planning Practitioner Planning the work for one short development cycle; Scrum calls it Sprint Planning. Minimum Business Increment (MBI) Practitioner SAFe's term for the smallest slice of a large initiative that delivers real business value. Minimum Marketable Feature (MMF) Practitioner The smallest piece of functionality that has real value to customers in the market on its own. Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Beginner The smallest thing you can build to learn whether an idea is worth building at all. Planning Poker Beginner A quick, consensus-based way for a team to estimate work using cards and conversation. Prioritization Techniques Practitioner Practical ways to decide what to build first, from simple MoSCoW to cost-of-delay scoring. Product Roadmaps Practitioner A high-level view of where a product is heading and roughly when, built to change as you learn. Product Vision Practitioner A short statement of who the product is for, what problem it solves, and why it's different. Program Increment Planning (PI Planning) Practitioner SAFe's two-day event where all teams on an Agile Release Train plan the next 8 to 12 weeks together. Relative Sizing Practitioner Estimating work by comparing items to each other instead of guessing absolute time. Release Planning Practitioner Planning which features go into an upcoming release and roughly when, across several sprints. Rolling Wave Planning Practitioner Plan the near future in detail and the distant future roughly, then refine as each wave gets closer. Spike Practitioner A short, timeboxed piece of research to answer a question before the team commits to building something. Sprint Planning Beginner The event that starts each sprint: decide why, what and how, then commit to a Sprint Goal. Story Points Beginner A relative unit for sizing work by effort, complexity and uncertainty, not by hours. T-Shirt Sizing Practitioner Rough estimation using sizes like S, M and L, ideal for early planning and roadmaps.