PRINCE2 Agile - Planning theme Flashcards
What is empiricism?
Making decisions based on past data and what has already happened. For example, judging how much work is left to do based on the rate of work completed so far.
How does Agile differ to PRINCE2 in relation to planning?
Plans are based around product requirements (focus on product), are created at the last sensible moment, and involve the whole team (self organisation).
How does one plan in timeboxed and flow-based projects?
In timeboxed projects, user stories are given a rough estimate and pulled into sprints. The estimates of the user stories should match to the capacity of the team in the sprint.
The use of points is fundamentally Agile as it allows teams to give a rough yet easily understood estimate whilst not wasting time mapping exact requirements. Alternatively, more general terms like “small”, “medium”, and “large” can be used.
In flow-based, there are no estimates and work is pulled in and started when there is capacity. This follows the principles of Kanban. Flow-based system use lead time which refers to how long it takes similar work to be competed).
Why is an end date on a Project Plan necessary in PRINCE2 Agile?
Giving an end date allows for a set cost and delivery date, acts as a measure of success, and allows it to be considered a project.
What is the ideal planning horizon in PRINCE2 Agile and why?
Detailed stage plan for the next two weeks, and a high-level rough plan for the next year.
The further away the time in the plan, the higher the degree of uncertainty and margin of error.
What does emergent mean in an Agile context?
Decisions and plans should be made with the understanding that it is not possible to carefully map out everything that is going to happen and it is much better to start the work and find out what is missing/what is needed to get to the end goal.
When is empirical or emergent planning used in a project?
Empirical and emergent planning are used when there is a short planning horizon and a small margin of error. This is in the MDP stages in which Agile are used.
More predictive planning is used when handling longer planning horizons and more uncertainty.
Why does overplanning not have a place in Agile?
Agile handles environments with a lot of uncertainty, so planning for every possible outcome or too far in the future is not wise. The Agile Manifesto emphasises responding to change over following a plan.
What are the equivalents of stage plans and team plans in PRINCE2 Agile?
Stage plans are release plans, and teams plans are sprints.
What is product-based planning?
Focusing on the details of the deliverables and not set stages (i.e. design, build). The content of the PBS or PFD is analogous to acceptance criteria in Agile. The planning focuses on features or groups of features. The concept of flexing (dropping or picking up work) focuses on the product descriptions and not time/cost, so these items are not flexed.
How is points-based estimation done?
Relative points are assigned to a user story based on the knowledge and experience of the whole team (not prejudiced to one individual).
One can also assign points based on how difficult a task is compared to the other related work items (i.e. painting a wall has a point estimate of 1, whilst paining a ceiling is twice as hard and so has a point estimate of 2).
