Many agile frameworks include planning meetings. These meetings serve to define the goals and tasks you want to pursue for a cycle or sprint. Planning meetings can also be used for larger-scale planning, e.g. at the strategic level or for annual objectives.
Sprint/cycle planning: At least the ‘developers’, i.e. everyone who will subsequently have to work on the goals and tasks in the cycle, are involved. Ideally, one person moderates the meeting (and refrains from contributing to the content). The team itself knows best how large the tasks need to be tailored to be realistic. Therefore, people from management stay out of these planning sessions if they do not have an implementation role.
Overarching planning: Planning sessions can also take place to develop vision, mission and strategy. Annual or organisational objectives could also be planned in separate planning sessions. Ideally, everyone who is committed to the results, i.e. who has to agree to them, should be involved.
Planning works best as face-to-face meetings. All methods of idea generation and decision-making can be used. The Scrum Guide specifies a maximum duration of eight hours for a one-month sprint.
You can find further information on the website of the Agility Lab.
Contact
Hanna Dewes
Research Associate