- Managing Release Content
- Release Planning Event
- Preparation for the Release Planning Event
- Tracking the Release
- Summary
Release Planning Event
In the Big Picture, all Agile teams that build cooperative subsystems operate on a synchronized Agile Release Train model. Periodic release planning is the seminal event that aligns the individual teams to the overall strategy of the enterprise. As such, the release planning event is to the enterprise what iteration planning is to the teamthe fixed pacemaker that drives the enterprise's delivery cadence. Release planning must be the focus of much preparation, communication, coordination, and commitment. Teams whose software must cooperate should plan together, doing so face-to-face, at least so far as travel budgets will allow.
Since the release dates are fixed in advance on the Agile Release Train, release planning events are routine and can be scheduled as far as a year in advance. During release planning, team members attend in person, if at all possible. During the event, the division of responsibilities is as follows:
- Product management owns the feature priorities.
- The development team/product owner owns story planning and high-level estimates.
- Architects work as intermediaries for governance, interfaces, and dependencies.