Agile Project Roadmaps

Excited to share the third article in our Agile and Project Governance series. I hope you’re finding the series enjoyable and helpful!

A quick recap of what we’ve covered so far:

· The importance of an agile mindset and some basic agile concepts: Agile Mindset Key for Success

· We also discussed the importance of project governance in agile environments; agile project planning vs traditional planning: Project Planning in Agile

Throughout my articles, I’ll reference sections from the PRINCE2 Agile guide (PRINCE2 Agile). These references are directly relevant to Agile and Project Governance.

My articles reflect my professional journey, shaped by research, study, and collaboration. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments and keep the conversation going!

Let’s get started!

In our previous article, we explored the various levels of planning in a project. Following PRINCE2 Agile, we discussed three levels of planning: project, stage, and team.

Now, let’s focus on the project level. Here, we’ll discuss how to create a project plan in an agile environment, which we will refer to as an agile roadmap.

Depending on the organization’s needs, this roadmap may need to be enhanced with a Gantt Chart ( e.g., in MS Project), like traditional project plans. However, our agile roadmap primarily focuses on visualizing project deliverables. It will not refer to specific technical phases like analysis, design, build, and test, as these are not central to agile methodologies.

If a Gantt Chart is required, it may include activities related to project initiation and closure stages. It’s important to maintain a high-level overview and avoid going into detail, as is common in traditional approaches.

AGILE ROADMAPs

An agile roadmap is like a flexible plan for reaching your product goals. It provides insight into upcoming releases, major goals, and anticipated features.

We discussed how Agile does not base its plans upon technical phases; it bases them on features and requirements instead. As part of the initiation stage of a project, PRINCE2 Agile looks at how the final product can be broken down into coherent chunks and what parts of the final product can be delivered early.

PRODUCT BACKLOG

The product backlog breaks down the project into smaller parts, guiding the team in translating the roadmap and delivering the planned vision. It’s a prioritized list, with the most important tasks at the top to keep the team focused. Essentially, it outlines the scope of an agile project.

For project managers who are new to Agile, understanding Agile requirements might be tricky. Familiarity with Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) can simplify comprehension of the Agile Product Backlog. Nonetheless, in Agile environments, our Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) should not be phase-oriented as outlined below:

In Agile environments, we will decompose the scope/structure based on deliverable components, aligning more closely with an object-oriented work breakdown structure as below:

Now, let’s move on to the steps for creating an Agile roadmap.

Steps to Create an Agile Roadmap

To start an Agile roadmap, begin by breaking down the project into smaller components, as previously discussed.

We’ll briefly outline the types of items typically included in the product backlog hierarchy. Understanding this hierarchy is essential for developing an effective agile roadmap. However, this article does not go into the detailed creation of a product backlog hierarchy.

Product Backlog hierarchy:

Step -1: Vision

Firstly, align with senior stakeholders to understand the company’s vision and establish product goals.

This clarity helps in focusing efforts on key priorities.

Step2: Themes (Goals)

Following the vision, break down deliverables into manageable work packages. In Agile terminology, these work packages are often referred to as Themes (or Goals), also known as larger deliverables.

· Themes are collections of epics that drive toward a common goal.

It’s crucial to clarify the project’s scope and boundaries by listing tangible outcomes.

Step3: Break Down in Epics

Next, break down high-level Themes into smaller pieces, known as epics in Agile methodologies.

· Epic: An Agile Epic is a large body of work. It’s preferable to break down epics vertically, presenting a clear user scenario.

· Feature (optional): features are logical groupings of user stories that contribute to completing an epic and adding value to the project. This hierarchy might be included in some projects depending on project complexity. It’s not always, though, part of a product backlog.

A backlog holds all planned and prioritized items that have yet to begin. These items may still be at the theme or epic level. Eventually, epics will be broken down into stories or small, manageable tasks that the team can complete within a single sprint.

· User Story: A user story is a short, simple description of a feature from the perspective of the end user.

Once we’ve identified big-ticket items and epics, the team focuses only on detailed planning for the next sprint. This approach allows us to adapt more easily. In contrast, traditional project management typically involves planning everything before moving forward.

Example:

Step4: Estimate

The simplest way to estimate is by comparing against past work (top-down approach). You’ll assess if a project’s theme is smaller or larger compared to previous tasks.

Your initial estimate is just a starting point for discussing and approving the scope, timeline, and budgets.

During sprint planning and execution, you’ll share the roadmap with teams for more precise measurements. This involves discussions and evaluating team effort.

By estimating and tracking actual work (over 2–4 sprints), you’ll establish the team’s capacity within a sprint, known as velocity. Then, you can assign values to sprint tasks based on complexity.

Finally, you’ll update the roadmap for accuracy based on new estimates (using a bottom-up approach).

Step5: Identify Releases

To create a roadmap, you’ll need to estimate completion dates for larger pieces, often called significant releases.

In Agile, backlogs are prioritized, but it’s also helpful to group them by theme. This means considering not just individual story priorities in sprints but also aligning them with larger deliverables on the roadmap.

Integration of release planning into PRINCE2 plans (project, stage, and teams) is essential. A project plan (our agile roadmap) should explicitly outline the anticipated number of releases, their dates, and the features included in each release. Each stage may involve one or more releases, depending on the project’s needs

Step6: Strengthening the Roadmap

Senior stakeholders’ approval is essential for the roadmap. Therefore, collaborating with the team to enhance its quality is crucial for future success. Communication of project progress or delays will be done using the approved roadmap and milestones. If there are timing discrepancies, explanations will be needed.

Offer insights on overlooked dependencies. In organizations where resources are divided among several projects, adjustments to the roadmap and timeline may be necessary. Occasionally, epics scheduled later in the project may need to be broken down into stories for more accurate estimations.

The purpose of roadmaps is to plan value delivery to clients or the business. Engaging the team in prioritization and evaluation helps them feel part of the bigger picture.

Step7: Continuously Improve the Roadmap

The roadmap is a dynamic document that will inevitably evolve. Valuable feedback from customers or team members may highlight significant issues with deliverables. Embrace change and ensure proper controls are in place to introduce it effectively.

Example Agile Roadmap

Conclusion

Agile Roadmaps, or project plans, prioritize:

• Team collaboration
• Minimizing initial details, where possible
• Focusing on themes (product goals) and client value

They start with lighter planning at project initiation and maintain flexibility for adjustments during the project. They utilize terminology like themes, epics, stories, sprints, releases, and roadmaps, which have equivalents in traditional project management.

What Next?

Our next article will cover how to control progress in Agile environments, ensuring that the project remains viable.