Is Solution Planning Applicable to Agile Solution Delivery?

Solution Planning Series

We have spent the last few weeks exploring solution planning. As a reminder, solution planning is a collaborative process that entails engaging with relevant business and technology stakeholders in order to determine the solution, and delivery approach that is best suited for solution implementation. A solution approach to solving business problems ensures that consideration is given to all the pieces that the solution will be composed of before commencing delivery.

Our posts on this topic have focused on discussing solution planning and each step of the 4-step solution planning process. These are listed below:

• Confirmation of Scope,

• Assessment of Capabilities and Constraints,

• Definition of Solution Blueprint, and

• Definition of Solution Delivery Strategy

One of the questions that has come up as we went through the series is: is solution planning applicable to agile solution delivery? This post attempts to answer this question.

It is important to understand what is meant by agile solution delivery before sharing thoughts on this question. Agile solution delivery is an iterative approach to solution implementation, where solution delivery teams deliver working pieces of the solution incrementally rather than at once. While there are different agile approaches, each approach focuses in some shape or form on incremental releases via sprints as opposed to a big-bang release. This then begs the question: if all of the components of the solution will not be delivered at once, why do we need a separate and detailed planning phase before solution implementation commences?

Our opinion is that a detailed planning phase has several benefits and actually better positions the organization to deliver solutions in an agile manner. Take for instance an organization that plans to implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. A detailed planning phase will help the organization answer questions such as:

• What are the business priorities which may inform how to prioritize solution modules?

• What specific processes would be automated as part of this implementation?

• Would the solution be integrated to any of the existing applications within the organization?

• Does the organization already have client data that needs to be extracted from existing systems and loaded into the new?

• Are there any human or technology resource constraints that can impact delivery?

• What is the estimated budget for solution delivery?

With all these questions answered, the organization can prioritize a backlog of features to be developed and schedule resource utilization accordingly. Solution planning does not hinder incremental delivery but aids planning for incremental delivery. The key thing to note with an agile mindset and culture is that alternative approaches to the contents of the solution plan may arise during delivery and should lead to changes without undue friction.

The point being made is that it is advisable to carry out a solution planning exercise whether an organization prefers to deliver solutions via waterfall or agile methodologies. The decision on the preferred delivery (release and deployment) approach should actually be driven by the outcomes of all the steps of the solution planning process and documented within the solution delivery strategy.

Thanks for reading. Please share your thoughts and comments below.

If you have enjoyed this series on solution planning and would like to talk to us about your solution planning needs, please contact us.

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