**Course Title:** Agile Methodologies: Principles and Practices **Section Title:** Agile Estimation and Planning **Topic:** Create a release plan based on user stories and estimates (Lab Topic) **Introduction** In Agile, a release plan is a critical component of the planning process. It outlines the key milestones and objectives that need to be achieved in a specific timeframe. In this lab topic, we will learn how to create a release plan based on user stories and estimates. By the end of this lesson, you will have hands-on experience in creating a release plan that aligns with your project goals and objectives. **Understanding Release Planning** Release planning is the process of defining and scheduling a set of sprints or iterations to achieve specific business goals. A release plan is typically created by the product owner, with input from the development team, stakeholders, and other relevant stakeholders. A release plan consists of the following key components: 1. **Release Objective**: Defines the purpose of the release and the benefits it will bring to the stakeholders. 2. **Scope**: Defines the set of user stories that will be included in the release. 3. **Timeline**: Defines the start and end dates of each sprint or iteration. 4. **Key Milestones**: Defines the key milestones that need to be achieved in each sprint or iteration. 5. **Budget**: Defines the total budget allocated for the release. **Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Release Plan** To create a release plan, follow these steps: **Step 1: Identify Release Objectives** * Review the product roadmap and business goals to identify the key objectives of the release. * Define the specific business outcomes that need to be achieved. * Make sure the release objective is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). **Step 2: Determine Release Scope** * Review the product backlog to identify the key user stories that align with the release objective. * Prioritize the user stories based on business value and dependencies. * Select the top-priority user stories that will be included in the release. **Step 3: Estimate User Stories** * Use the estimation techniques learned in previous lessons (e.g., Story Points, Planning Poker) to estimate the effort required for each user story. * Make sure the estimates are based on the development team's capacity and velocity. **Step 4: Create Sprint or Iteration Plan** * Based on the estimated effort for each user story, create a sprint or iteration plan that includes: + Sprint or iteration start and end dates + Key milestones that need to be achieved + Allocated budget for each sprint or iteration + Key risks and dependencies that need to be managed **Step 5: Schedule Release** * Based on the sprint or iteration plan, schedule the release by setting specific start and end dates. * Make sure the release date aligns with the overall project timeline and budget. **Example Release Plan** Suppose we are working on a project to develop a mobile application for online ordering and payment. Our release objective is to achieve a minimum viable product (MVP) that includes user stories for login, ordering, and payment. | User Story | Estimated Effort | Sprint | Milestone | Budget | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | User Story 1: Login | 3 Story Points | Sprint 1 | User can log in successfully | $1,000 | | User Story 2: Ordering | 5 Story Points | Sprint 2 | User can place orders successfully | $2,000 | | User Story 3: Payment | 4 Story Points | Sprint 3 | User can make payments successfully | $1,500 | Based on the estimated effort and sprint or iteration plan, our release plan looks like this: **Release Plan** * Release Objective: Achieve MVP for online ordering and payment * Scope: User Stories 1-3 * Timeline: 3 sprints (6 weeks) * Key Milestones: + Sprint 1: User can log in successfully + Sprint 2: User can place orders successfully + Sprint 3: User can make payments successfully * Budget: $4,500 **Conclusion** In this lab topic, we learned how to create a release plan based on user stories and estimates. By following the steps outlined above, we can create a release plan that aligns with our project goals and objectives. Remember to regularly review and update your release plan to ensure it remains aligned with changing project requirements and business objectives. **Practical Takeaways** * Create a release plan that aligns with your project goals and objectives. * Use estimation techniques to estimate user stories and allocate effort. * Define key milestones and allocate budget for each sprint or iteration. * Schedule the release and revise the plan as needed. **Recommended Reading** * "Agile Release Planning" by Mike Cohn (https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/agile/release-planning) * "Release Planning in Agile" by VersionOne (https://www.versionone.com/agile-101/release-planning/) **We encourage you to try creating a release plan based on the concepts learned in this lesson. Please feel free to leave a comment or ask for help if you have any questions or need further clarification.** This is the end of this topic, our next topic will be 'Executing a sprint: Daily stand-ups and task management' From: Sprint Execution and Delivery.