How to Run a Successful Iteration Planning Session in Scrum

Featured article by Aloukik Rathore, Independent Technology Author

Getting Familiar With The Terms

Scrum is a basic term that can be used to define the framework of any company. A scrum is a group of members who are supposed to perform multiple tasks with teamwork such that the accountability of completion of the task is present on each of these members. The completion of the tasks can be done with the help of iterations, which in simple words means the repetition of the smaller tasks enough number of times such that their combined effect is perfect.

The term derives its origin from the formation of players that is followed in the game of rugby. Just like the definition provided above, the formation of players in rugby is also the same wherein the goal is achieved by teamwork and the repetition of moves that have been specially designed and practiced by the team.

Modern Planning

Iteration planning in scrum is a common methodology that is being used for marketing purposes by the major companies across the world. As one of the most successful commercial strategies, iteration is a part of the agile planning, which is being done by commercial houses across the globe today.

More than 70% of organizations are adopting agile planning methods to fasten their marketing and gains. Iteration is said to be a time duration in which a group of people working in the company gets committed to providing not just the required results, but also incremental gains to the company. These increments can be achieved by working overtime or developing new methods for solving the problems which exist in the company.

Agile Planning

Talking more about agile planning, it can be defined as a modern methodology used in project planning. Agile planning consists of many iterations or Sprint’s which are nothing but time durations for which a team of employees in the company is supposed to work and provide the desired results. Agile planning focuses on the sequencing of the tasks which will be performed by each team in the iteration, which is provided to them.

Agile planning, as such, has proven to be a major game-changer for many companies when it comes to the field of marketing. If you are given the task to lead an iteration planning program, then it becomes very important for you to provide sufficient and adequate instructions to the team members regarding the whole process of the iteration.

Let us take a look at the various steps and instructions which you can provide the team members to make them accustomed to the work they will be expected to do so that the ultimate goal of the iteration can be achieved successfully.

Knowing The Iterations

In a given iteration, a team has to repeat the tasks which are designated to that particular iteration multiple times. This ensures that ultimately, the team can do these tasks error-free, and at one point, they can identify anything which serves as an obstacle in the completion of the task.

Therefore, the overall purpose of the working of these employees becomes more useful for the company. To complete all the tasks which are present in any iteration, the team of the employees as to continuously perform for basic procedures.

The initial procedure will be to plan the activity, which they will perform during the iteration then they will implement the plan that has been made. After this, they will have to check whether the task was successful or not, and if any shortcomings are present, then they will have to adjust accordingly so that the errors can be removed.

From the rough idea which we have provided you about iterations, it should become clear that it is extremely important to plan the iteration well so that the outcome can be favorable. Planning of the iteration is extremely important because it will help in managing the work efficiently and also to provide you with a realistic scope of the iteration.

Who Will Do The Task?

The first step required to be done before you get down implementing the iterations is to decide how many members are available to perform the tasks required to be done during the iteration.

Once the team members are decided then, they have to form a consensus to address the question that how much capacity does each of them has, on an average, such that they can work for that duration of time and which can ultimately be set as the time box for the iteration.

Work Durations

Once the working capacity of the individuals who will be involved in the iteration is estimated, the next task in front of the team members is to analyze the tasks that have to be performed during the iteration.

For analysis, every aspect is closely monitored, such as the size of the task, the complexities involved, and the potential obstacles in each one of them so that the tasks are completed successfully.

Work Division

After this analysis is completed, then the roles have to be divided among the team members. For this, the analysis of the task must be done with a frame of mind that identifies aspects of each task that are best suited for all the members. In this way, every team member works on tasks that are matching their strengths and ultimately become capable of providing superior quality inputs to the team.

But this process of dividing the roles in the iteration is not very simple. It is often seen that once the rules are divided based on the strengths and weaknesses of the team members, then some of the members become overcommitted while some have a very minimal amount of work on their hands. When this problem arises, then the team members should again go into discussion mode and analyze the work effectively.

Aims and Goals

Once the roles have been divided, and the tasks in the iteration have been understood very well, then the goals and aims of the iteration must be specified by the team members themselves.

These goals can be about the time frame in which the tasks have to be completed, or they can be regarding the amount of success that they are aiming to achieve. Having an acceptable and achievable goal is very important to ensure the success of agile planning methods in the field of marketing.

About the Author

Aloukik Rathore is an animal lover, creator, violinist, and a full-time entrepreneur. Making at the sweet spot between art and business to craft experiences that go beyond just making profits. I work with Fortune 500 companies and startups.

email – aloukik.r@gmail.com