Glide like an airplane would on takeoff… as you approach your PI Planning Event.
To me, I will be super stressed-out if the plane I am in suddenly goes up …. almost vertical … fast … along a uncharacteristically very short runway. This approach takes a lot of energy and force compared to taking off low, gently and steadily going … almost gliding … up along a characteristically long runway.
What I am saying is this: use a long runway towards your PI Planning event to properly prepare for it.
Refine your highly prioritized Features. Make huge features into smaller features. Decompose Features into stories albeit high level and skeletal in nature…
This gives you a sense of the demand vis-a-vis your perceived capacity as you approach the PI Planning event.
You can have an early sense as to which features will be ‘voted off the island’ if demand exceeds perceived capacity.
What you do not want to happen is this: do everything that I have mentioned in ‘one fell swoop’ during the PI Planning event … or past the Last Responsible Moment (LRM).
Yes, there is such a thing called LRM. The last moment wherein you are still being considerate of others. It is like turning on your car’s blinkers way before you change lanes … being considerate of the other drivers; otherwise, unpleasant things can happen.
Being ‘Lean Agile’ does not mean ‘flying by the seat of your pants’.
Plan your runway… by ‘walking backwards’ from the PI Planning event to where you are today. What are those necessary steps? Prioritization of features, refinements, decompositions, etc…
and identify as to when the LRM is… so that you are being considerate of others specially with the ecosystems that you are dependent on… to make sure that they have reserved a capacity for your need.
Glide … using a long runway! Do not add unnecessary stress.
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