## 4.2 Planning One of the common misperceptions about Agile relates to planning and originates from one of the Agile core values: **'Responding to change over following a plan'. Note that this refers to following a plan, and not to planning.** The amount of planning effort in Agile involves more effort in comparison to traditionally managed projects. From maintaining the Work Items List and estimating work items effort, to Stand-up Meetings and iteration planning, the success of Agile projects depends explicitly on effective and efficient planning. There are several differences between Agile and traditional project planning. For example, the intensity of the planning activities in Agile is spread throughout the whole project lifecycle. There are also differences in the detail, granularity and format of the plans as well as the various key players involved with planning activities. Planning plays an important role in the integration and coordination of the efforts of people. Different levels of involvement in the project, time constraints, planning horizons and responsibilities must be considered. The flexibility of the planning methods should allow the fulfilment of the project coordination role for the delivery of ideal digital solutions. For certain elements of the plans (including presentation and granularity) to be accessible and transparent to all team members and stakeholders, agreements should be established. Without these agreements, it is difficult to commit resources or synchronise various parallel work streams. Lack of visibility and coordination can result in disconnects, inefficiencies, and can consequently increase tension and friction throughout the organisation. For example, there is a controversy about the need (and timing) for planning outputs with concrete schedules, definite budget estimates, and breakdown of activities based on agreed and complete requirements. This is because Agile teams (justifiably) do not focus on long-term detailed planning; they are not inclined to create detailed plans, traditional timelines and cost estimates. Instead, resource requirements and timelines are measured differently, using iterations, [[Story Points]] and velocity for their respective work. Releases are based on a 'cut-off' date as opposed to well-defined requirements and production is founded on increments integrating feedback from the client and other stakeholders. However, there is a need to manage the expectations of the Managing and Directing stakeholders who usually prefer to receive complete plans before the project starts. By involving and educating these stakeholders in transparent Agile planning and progress tracking processes, the efficacy of the Agile process can be demonstrated. PM2-Agile proposes sufficient upfront planning and documentation that complies with IT Governance and project management requirements. This process guides subsequent iterative and incremental planning and development. PM2-Agile promotes the following principles for planning: - The planning cycles (and scope) should be **decided per the cycle** they are part of and the nature of the project. - **Everybody** is **involved** in planning. - **Planning is more important than plans**: “Do the planning, throw away the Plan”.