Planning Methodology

Structured approach to planning development work and prioritizing features.

Planning Levels

Strategic (Quarterly/Yearly)

• •Vision and goals
• •Major initiatives
• •Resource allocation
• •Success metrics

Tactical (Monthly/Sprint)

• •Feature breakdown
• •Task prioritization
• •Dependency mapping
• •Capacity planning

Operational (Daily/Weekly)

• •Task execution
• •Blocker resolution
• •Progress tracking
• •Scope adjustment

Prioritization Frameworks

RICE Score

RICE = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort

Reach: How many users affected (per quarter)
Impact: How much it helps (0.25 = minimal, 3 = massive)
Confidence: How sure are we (0-100%)
Effort: Person-months required

MoSCoW Method

Value vs Effort Matrix

High Value │ Quick Wins  │  Major Projects
           │ (Do First)  │  (Plan Carefully)
           ├─────────────┼─────────────────
Low Value  │ Fill-ins    │  Don't Do
           │ (If Time)   │  (Avoid)
           └─────────────┴─────────────────
              Low Effort    High Effort

Feature Breakdown

Epic → Story → Task

Epic: User Authentication
├── Story: User can sign up with email
│   ├── Task: Design signup form
│   ├── Task: Implement email validation
│   ├── Task: Create user in database
│   └── Task: Send verification email
├── Story: User can log in
│   ├── Task: Design login form
│   ├── Task: Implement password verification
│   └── Task: Generate session token
└── Story: User can reset password
    ├── Task: Design reset flow
    ├── Task: Generate reset token
    └── Task: Implement password update

Story Template

**As a** [user type]
**I want** [action]
**So that** [benefit]

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] Given X, when Y, then Z
- [ ] Edge case A is handled
- [ ] Error case B shows appropriate message

Dependency Management

Dependency Map

[Auth System] ───────────────────┐
      │                          │
      ▼                          ▼
[User Profile] ────────► [Permissions]
      │                          │
      ▼                          ▼
[Settings Page] ◄────── [Admin Panel]

Critical Path

Identify the longest chain of dependencies—this is your minimum timeline.

1. •List all tasks with durations
2. •Map dependencies
3. •Find the longest path
4. •Optimize by parallelizing or reducing scope

Estimation

Relative Estimation

Use story points or t-shirt sizes for relative complexity:

Estimation Principles

• •Never estimate alone—use planning poker or similar
• •Include testing, review, and deployment time
• •Add buffer for unknowns (20-50%)
• •Track actual vs estimated to calibrate

Risk Management

Risk Matrix

High Impact  │ Monitor    │ Mitigate
             │ Closely    │ Actively
             ├────────────┼────────────
Low Impact   │ Accept     │ Monitor
             │            │ Occasionally
             └────────────┴────────────
              Low Probability  High Probability

Mitigation Strategies

1. •Avoid - Change plan to eliminate risk
2. •Reduce - Take action to lower probability or impact
3. •Transfer - Shift responsibility (insurance, outsourcing)
4. •Accept - Acknowledge and prepare contingency

Planning Meetings

Sprint Planning

1. •Review priorities and capacity
2. •Select items from backlog
3. •Break down into tasks
4. •Identify dependencies and risks
5. •Commit to sprint goal

Retrospective

• •What went well?
• •What could improve?
• •Action items for next sprint

Planning Checklist

• • Goals are clear and measurable
• • Work is broken into manageable chunks
• • Dependencies are mapped
• • Risks are identified
• • Estimates are realistic
• • Team has agreed to commitments