Learning Challenge

An attempt to identify useful Patterns to build a Learning Organization.

Context

Now that a Value Stream Backlog has been defined and refined, the Potential Valuable Items (PVIs) are, well, still only potential value. They will deliver value (i.e., move to the end of the Value Stream) only when they are made real through development and validated. You are ready to embark on a Learning Cycle to develop one or more PVIs to create a Potential Value Addition.

Problem

A Learning Cycle should produce a Potential Value Addition within a fixed time box. Yet simply pulling Potential Valuable Items (PVIs) off the top of the Value Stream Backlog does not necessarily result in work that fits into the Learning Cycle’s time box and produces a Potential Value Addition.

Solution

At the beginning of every Learning Cycle the Value Stream Team meets to discuss the next Learning Challenge, and to create a plan for what will be developed during the Learning Cycle and how it will be developed. This requires that the Value Stream Team perform sufficient analysis and design on the upcoming work to have a high degree of confidence about what the upcoming development entails, and that it can be completed during the Learning Cycle for later validation.

References

• Scrum Guide — Sprint Planning.
• ScrumPLoP — Sprint Planning (similar concept, similar text).

Final note: This is a work-in-progress.