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Agile planning: a step-by-step guide

Overwhelmingly, the world is going agile. Companies that adopt Agile methodologies see a range of benefits, from higher rates of customer satisfaction, stronger employee engagement, and primarily smoother operations.

Still, despite all the positives related to Agile planning, many businesses haven’t adopted the practice. Whether out of hesitance for change or a desire to keep things status quo, companies who aren’t using Agile planning risk falling behind the competition.

In this blog post, we’re going to dive into what the approach is and the steps you can take to apply it to your own workflows.

What is agile planning?

Agile planning is a part of the Agile methodology, which is a project management style with an incremental, iterative approach. Instead of using an in-depth plan from the start of the project—which is typically product-related—Agile leaves room for requirement changes throughout and relies on constant feedback from end users.

With Agile planning, a project is broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks with the ultimate goal of having a defined image of a project’s vision. Agile planning involves looking at different aspects of a project’s tasks and how they’ll be achieved, for example:

• Roadmaps to guide a product’s release ad schedule
• Sprints to work on one specific group of tasks at a time
• A feedback plan to allow teams to stay flexible and easily adapt to change
• User stories, or the tasks in a project, capture user requirements from the end user’s perspective

Essentially, with Agile planning, a team would decide on a set of user stories to action at any given time, using them as a guide to implement new features or functionalities in a tool. Looking at tasks as user stories is a helpful way to imagine how a customer may use a feature and helps teams prioritize work and focus on delivering value first.

Essential characteristics of Agile planning

A whopping 71% of organizations have adopted agile planning methodologies, and 60% of those companies increased their profits after doing so. However, implementing Agile methodologies is important and can dictate the success of this new project management format in your company. Before implementing any project planning method, whether it’s Kanban boards, Gantt charts, or Scrum, it’s important to understand the basics. Here are four essential characteristics of Agile you should be aware of.

An agile project plan is divided into releases and sprints

Agile planners define a release as creating a new product or substantially updating an existing product. Each release is broken down into several iterations called sprints. Each sprint has a fixed length, typically two weeks, and the team has a predefined list of items, or user stories, to work through in each sprint.

Task creation and planning is based on user stories

As mentioned above, a user story is a task that caters to an end-user’s needs. For example, when working on a software product, teams may work on features based on user stories, such as:

• “As a team member, it’s helpful for me to receive a notification telling me which new tasks are assigned to me.”
• “As a team leader, I need to receive an email when a task is stuck or behind schedule so I can keep my project on track.”

Unlike other project management methodologies, like waterfall , in which teams would create detailed technical specifications of exactly what they would build, with Agile planning, teams focus on documenting what users need. Throughout the sprint, team members figure out how to address specific user needs in the most efficient way possible.

Planning is iterative and incremental

All sprints are of equal length, and an Agile team repeats the same process over and over again, like Scrum ceremonies, in every sprint. The result of each sprint should be working features that can be rolled out to end-users.

An iterative process allows the team to learn what they are capable of, estimate how many user stories they can action and finish in a given timeframe, and discover problems that impede their progress. Then, newly discovered problems can be addressed in subsequent sprints.

Work estimation is a collective effort

A focal point of Agile planning is that development teams should participate in planning and estimation, instead of solely management deciding on the work scope. In the sprint stage, Agile planning allows teams to determine the complexity of user stories to carry out a plan, called a story point.

For example, a team can assign 1 point to a simple user story, 2-3 points for a moderately complex one, and 4-5 points for a bigger story based on their understanding of the work involved. Then, user stories that aren’t actioned or assigned points on the current sprint are put into the project backlog.

The 6 levels of Agile planning

Agile planning is a multi-level process, with each stage representing a different part of the planning process. Often, people refer to the Agile planning process as an Agile planning onion for its different layers, each one giving way to the next. When looking at Agile planning like an onion, we start with the outer layer first and slowly get closer to the core, going from less frequent on the outside to more frequent stages as we move in.

( Image Source )

Let’s take a closer look at each layer of the onion, what it entails, and when it’s used.

• Strategy: This is a high-level approach to planning, often done at the beginning of a project when organizations define their long-term vision and identify resources and capabilities to reach strategic objectives
• Portfolio: In this stage, the focus is on managing a portfolio of projects or products, including prioritization, resource allocation, and alignment with business objective, ensuring that resources are applied effectively
• Product: In the product planning stages, teams define overall product strategy, decide on a development approach, and set dates, themes, timelines, and prioritize features to meet project goals and respond to market needs
• Release: Release planning breaks down the product roadmap into specific releases, focusing on which user stories to prioritize, each story’s timeline, team capacities, and the features or functionality to be delivered in each release
• Iteration: Iteration planning, also known as Sprint planning, defines the work to be done in a short iteration or sprint, usually spanning 1-4 weeks and involves breaking down user stories into tasks and estimating the effort required
• Daily: In the final layer, teams use the daily stand-up or scrum meeting to plan daily tasks and discuss progress and impediments, helping keep the team aligned and focused on the immediate tasks at hand

Agile planning process: Step-by-step

Agile project planning involves multiple steps. Each step is meant to propel your project forward while maintaining an organized approach to managing your product and workforce. The steps can be adapted to your team’s specific needs, and some need to be maintained on an ongoing basis, but overall, following the steps below will help you successfully implement an Agile plan for your next product launch.

1. Define vision

Your first step in Agile planning is to start by defining the vision for your project or product, which includes overall goals and objectives to be achieved.

2. Set clear expectations on goals

Next, you should set clear expectations on what you want the output to be so that all team members and stakeholders are on the same page. Even if tasks or certain plans change due to feedback cycles and new iterations, the expectation should remain constant.

3. Define and break down the product roadmap

After setting expectations, it’s important to build a high-level product roadmap to highlight milestones and deliverables, giving your project more of a strategic direction. Then, the roadmap should be broken down into releases or increments, each with a defined set of features to include.

4. Create tasks based on user stories

This step should be more ongoing as project and user needs evolve over different iterations, but the idea is to create actionable tasks based on real user stories so that team members can work on adding new features, updating existing ones, or creating more functionality in your product.

5. Populate product backlog

Your product backlog is a collection of tasks and user stories that should be worked on over a project’s lifecycle. It includes tasks that aren’t a part of the current sprint but may be a part of future ones and can operate as a place to collect new tasks that arise as a result of feedback, roadblocks, or problems that need to be solved. Tasks in the backlog should also be prioritized according to user needs or a project’s timeline.

6. Plan iterations and estimate effort

For each release, it’s important to plan a series of iterations or sprints. In this process, you want to define each iteration’s goals and objectives while also estimating the effort and time it may take based on the current sprint’s tasks. This helps gauge a sprint’s complexity so you can create an interaction plan based on current workfloads, deliverables, and timelines.

7. Conduct daily stand-ups

Daily meetings, often called stand-ups, are a helpful Agile ceremony that allows teams to discuss any pressing issues and plan the day’s work. Daily stand-ups are short and focused and involve very short-term planning to tackle a task currently being worked on.

8. Monitor and adapt

Finally, with Agile planning, it’s always important to monitor progress against overall goals, iteration plans, and your product roadmap. Track any deviations from the plan so you can find immediate solutions. At the end of each sprint, you can identify areas for improvement and implement them in future iterations.

These eight steps involve a lot of scheduling, planning, and communicating to implement effectively. To keep this process organized and running smoothly, many teams use a platform like monday dev, which is built on the monday.com Work Operating System (Work OS). Platforms like monday dev help teams run their projects, communicate between themselves, and track all updates in real-time.

Implementing monday dev for effortless Agile planning

Agile planning’s structure and iterative approach to work make it the perfect complement to development teams, though any team can use this method. Once you have an understanding of how to use and maintain this methodology, take your Agile planning to the next level on monday dev . Not only will you always have a clear view of each sprint, but you’ll also be able to reinforce Agile principles such as transparency and agility every step of the way. Here’s a closer look at some monday dev features that are ideal for the Agile planning process.

Agile templates

monday dev makes it easy to start quickly with ready-to-go templates for Agile planning. Whether it’s an Agile Project Management template or a Sprint Management template , you can set up your project instantly and customize the template to fit your needs.

Automations to seamlessly implement Agile planning steps

Automations in monday dev help Agile projects flow more seamlessly by putting manual tasks on autopilot. Build your own custom automation formulas to trigger reminders, notifications, communications, or other actions to ensure tasks are kept on time and nothing falls through the cracks.

Advanced reporting and insights for stronger iterations

Agile planning is all about making adjustments to improve the flow of your project, and with monday dev’s advanced reporting capabilities, you can make sure you have all the insights you need to make informed decisions. From burndown charts to performance insights and everything in between, monday dev helps you stay consistently on top of your work.

Planning for better Agile projects

The more planning that goes into a project and all its tasks, the more likely the project is to go smoothly. Hiccups can always happen, but when a project is planned according to Agile practices, roadblocks are easier to manage. Agile planning is made even easier by using an intuitive platform like monday dev so that your entire team are aligned while staying on top of their individual tasks and working collaboratively towards the same goal.

What is the Agile method of project planning?

The Agile method of project planning is a flexible, iterative approach involving different planning stages, focused on delivering value to customers through ongoing improvements and iterations.

What is the difference between strategic planning and Agile planning?

Strategic planning focuses on long-term goals and objectives, while Agile planning is more focused on short-term, iterative planning with the purpose of achieving an overall goal in a changing environment.

What is the difference between Agile and sprint planning?

Agile planning focuses on breaking down work into small, manageable tasks and prioritizing them based on effort and value, while sprint planning is a specific type of Agile planning that occurs at the start of each new sprint where teams decide on the work that will be done.

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What Is Agile Project Planning? An Introduction for Beginners

While agile is relatively new, it has made a big splash in the work of project management. It started in software development, but has since been adopted by other industries that have seen the benefit of agile’s iterative approach.

Those that use an agile project management framework don’t like to consider it a methodology, though some argue it is. Agile is more of an approach, and could almost be defined as a philosophy. Today we’re going to sidestep the philosophical, though, and instead focus on agile planning in project management, and specifically, creating an agile project plan.

What Is Agile Project Management?

The agile methodology is an iterative, adaptive approach to managing a project that has an emphasis on rapid change and flexibility. The reason for this flexibility is to deliver value to the customer faster. A team practicing agile works incrementally, continuously evaluates the requirements and results, and responds quickly to any changes that come up.

Agile also focuses on collaboration and keeping lines of communication open. There must be trust among the agile team, and an embrace of change. There is still a person who prioritizes tasks (usually known as the product owner ), but the agile team themselves determine how to do the project planning and get the work done. Yes—agile has self-organizing teams that direct their own work!

This approach goes back to the development of the Agile Manifesto, which was written by seventeen software developers who found consensus around twelve principles. The length of interactions, or the size of teams, isn’t defined. It’s more about adhering to the stated values, which you can execute with scrum, hybrid methodology and more.

What Is Agile Planning?

However you choose to implement the agile principles, there is one thing all approaches have in common: an agile plan. Agile work takes place during short periods of time that are called agile sprints . A sprint is usually between one and three weeks, and the team uses this time to complete deliverables.

There are certain characteristics of agile planning that deserve mention to get a full idea of what the agile planning process entails:

• First, there is the release. This is the product that an agile team works on.
• The release plan is broken down into sprints, with each sprint dictating a specific set of tasks to be completed.
• These tasks are called user stories.
• You then build a plan from these user stories, which describe the needs of the end-user.
• Then, the team works together to figure out the best way to address these user stories.

The sprint is the building block of agile planning. Agile sprints to be the same length in duration and are repeated, ending with a working feature that can be rolled out to the end-user. Due to the iterative nature of a sprint, a team will, over time, be able to better estimate how long user stories will take.

Software like ProjectManager makes executing sprints easy. Identify work that needs to be done in your backlog, prioritize it, then execute that work as a team on our kanban board. Balance resources with workload tools, and track progress with dashboards so you deliver your best work every time. Try ProjectManager today for free.

Why Planning Still Matters in the Agile Methodology

Agile planning gives an agile team a clear picture of the goals of their project. This supports the collaborative nature of agile, because everyone is on the same page. Agile plans are not obsolete and anachronistic, they define the work and help the team make decisions based on facts.

Project plans are an organization technique, and agile requires organization—albeit, much less than a project planned in waterfall. This might be why some are quick to dismiss planning when working in an agile project management framework. But that’s throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Agile planning is based on sprints and user stories, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the big picture.

How to Make an Agile Project Plan

A team develops an agile project plan as the product owner describes the goals for the release, which are typically to improve the end-user experience and resolve problems. Once this has been defined, the next step is to get the team together and discuss desired features.

Related: Agile Sprint Planning Template

This leads to another discussion about the details for each of those features, and what might impact their delivery. The team also identifies any risk that might negatively impact the project, as well as task dependencies. The features that are riskiest and have the most value to the end-user are usually completed first.

Step-By-Step Guide to Creating an Agile Project Plan

Now you’re ready to create a plan:

• Begin with a retrospective meeting. A retrospective meeting is where you discuss the previous sprint to learn from what went right and what went wrong.
• Run a sprint planning meeting. A sprint planning meeting looks at the release and any updates that have occurred, such as changes to priority, new features, etc.
• Create user stories: Detail the user stories as much as possible so that they are well-defined.
• Create deliverables: Break the user story down into tasks that are usually not more than a day in duration.
• Delegate responsibility: Assign tasks to team members and assign ownership to make sure they’re committed to executing them.
• Create a workflow: Put the tasks on a board, either a card on a physical board or with project management software tools, such as kanban boards.
• Track progress: Use the board to track the progress of the sprint as the tasks move from one stage of the production cycle to the next.
• Use a burndown chart: Create a burndown chart to show the number of tasks or hours left.

Related: Agile vs Waterfall and the Rise of Hybrid Projects

Agile Project Planning Terms

Here are some important agile concepts that you’ll need to know to create and execute your agile project plan:

• Product Backlog: In agile project management, a product backlog is a list of deliverables that derive from the product roadmap and its requirements. Things like new product features, bug fixes or any changes are backlog items that should be documented here.
• Product owner: The product owner is the member of the agile team who’s responsible for defining user stories and prioritizing the product backlog.
• User stories: It’s a small task within an agile plan. They’re called user stories because they’re product features described from the end-user perspective.
• Burndown chart: A burndown chart is used to show the amount of work that has been completed in an agile sprint and the number of tasks or hours left.
• Burn rate: In agile project management, the burn rate is a metric used to measure the efficiency of an agile team. It measures the relationship between the completion of user stories and the time spent on them.
• Team velocity: The velocity is the broader performance metric that measures the amount of work a team can get done during a sprint.
• Story point estimation: This is a method used to measure agile teams’ performance. A story point is a unit that is used to calculate the effort needed to complete a user story. Story points measure three factors, complexity, risk and repetition.

Now that you know the basics of agile planning, you’ll need a project management tool like ProjectManager to help you manage your agile projects.

How ProjectManager Helps With Agile Planning

To properly facilitate agile planning, you need the right tools. ProjectManager is a work management software that connects agile teams and helps them run better sprints and speed up releases.

Stay Notified on Task Changes

Connecting teams so they can collaborate on their sprints is a top priority. ProjectManager lets team members work together at the task level, giving them tools to attach files, leave comments and change task status. When a task’s status changes, a notification goes out by email as well as showing up as an in-app alert.

Create Workflows on Boards

Agile teams are self-organizing, and need a tool that gives them the autonomy to work the way they want. ProjectManager’s kanban board is designed to provide that flexibility. The board view acts as a digital organizer, with cards that move from one column to the next to represent the different stages of production.

Manage Your Resources in Real-Time

In addition, ProjectManager has resource management features, reporting tools and a real-time dashboard that provide high-level views of your sprints. Unlike other tools that make you configure the dashboard, ProjectManager’s dashboard automatically calculates data on metrics such as time, cost and more.

ProjectManager is award-winning software that organizes your backlog, helps plan your sprints and monitors your progress—perfect for agile planning. See what ProjectManager can do when making your next agile project. Try it free today.

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Adopt Agile Project Planning to Deliver Value and Stay on Track

By Kate Eby | July 12, 2016 (updated December 31, 2023)

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Agile approaches prioritize customer needs. Learn the foundations of Agile project planning and best practices from the experts. Also, get tools, templates, and tips to help your team deliver real business value that satisfies customers and teams.  

In this article, you’ll learn the steps in the  Agile project planning process and variations such as hybrid practice. Experts explain how  Agile differs from other project planning methods and share  best practices . You’ll also view a  project plan example that shows how Agile works. Download an Agile project planning starter kit .

What Is Agile Planning?

Agile planning is a phased, continuous improvement method to control projects. Agile’s built-in flexibility accommodates changes during project development. This type of planning produces results faster than traditional practices such as Waterfall.  Agile is a project planning and management philosophy formally launched in 2001. Seventeen technologists drafted the  Agile Manifesto  to speed up software development times and quickly bring new products to market. Agile project planning applies to various business environments because the methodology is a guide to developing a nimble mindset and problem-solving behaviors. Almost all disciplines can benefit from teams who build in quality, with less waste, at every project step, which is the goal of Agile.   

Alison Braun , Agile Coach, Scrum Professional, and Solutions Architect, finds that although most of her career has involved software projects, “Agile planning is valuable in non-software projects, too. For example, I’ve consulted on internal HR and training projects, including how to train people to interview and act as mentors for a talent administration firm. We used a Kanban system instead of a Scrum team in this situation. Kanban works well in the talent acquisition and HR space where you're limiting your work in progress and moving through the system in time increments – doable chunks – that make sense for the project. For example, there might be a diversity training segment or training around legal issues broken down into work packages that show success and a pattern of teaching information.”  

Alan Zucker, author and Principal of  Project Management Essentials, LLC , has used Agile's project management philosophy to drive financial services and non-software development large-scale projects. “Agile values apply: deliver value early and often, adaptation, customer collaboration, and putting people first makes sense for most projects, particularly change management and enterprise-wide initiatives. In a recent financial services project, converting legacy data out of an old system into a new one, we were simultaneously developing workflows, screens, communications, and other efforts, and the project involved hundreds of people. Agile and the breakdown into user stories and smaller teams was invaluable in bringing the project to a successful completion.” Agile planning works well within marketing project management contexts and has its own  Agile Marketing Manifesto , formalized in 2012. The Manifesto contains elements to apply Agile methodology to marketing products and services. The Manifesto highlights seven values and 10 principles to better plan and execute the delivery of valuable products and services.

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What Is Agile Project Planning?

Agile project planning aims to deliver business value early. The goal is to improve the project’s product and process continuously. Agile emphasizes scope flexibility, team input, and delivery of a well-tested product that reflects customer needs.

In contrast to working from a comprehensive plan at the project outset, which is typically product related, Agile makes allowances for requirement changes and banks on regular feedback from end users. Agile planning and project management are the software development standard because they are more successful than the traditional  Waterfall approach . The 2020 Standish Group Chaos Study found that Agile projects are three times more likely to succeed than Waterfall projects. Breaking projects down into increments, checking for problems, and making timely adaptations and corrections reduce the risk of failure. Read this article on  Agile project management to learn more about the methodology and practice. 

Sprints are at the center of the Agile project planning methodology. During sprints, teams work on user stories or goals. Sprints repeat until the project or product is complete. After sprints, team members are responsible for checking what’s working and what isn’t, adapting and making changes, or starting to improve the project or product.

Roles in Agile

Agile governance relies on specific roles for each team member. The roles in an Agile team aren’t jobs or positions. Instead, they define a set of responsibilities that one or more people take. In some cases, one person might fill multiple roles and switch between them. Every role works to achieve common goals and respond to changing client and business needs and any emerging issues. 

Typical team member roles and responsibilities in Agile include:  

• Product Owner:  The person in this role defines the product vision and manages stakeholders. They can make critical decisions and ensure the team works on the correct items. The product owner needs to understand what customers want and make adjustments accordingly, so effective communication with stakeholders is essential.  
• Stakeholders:  Anyone with an interest in the project. Internal stakeholders work for the organization developing the product, and they can be employees, managers, and senior leaders. External stakeholders can include customers, investors, partners, and suppliers.
• Scrum Master (in Scrum):  Scrum masters act as coaches to the rest of the team. They lead daily standup meetings and watch over sprint planning meetings to keep the team on track and to guard against scope creep. They manage sprint reviews, compile feedback, and remove productivity roadblocks. Learn what it takes to  become a Scrum Master .
• Team Leaders (in Kanban): In Kanban Agile projects, team leaders ensure the use of Agile and facilitate effective team communication.
• Team Members:  Usually a cross-functional group of 10 or fewer people with the skills to define, build, test, and deliver value to the customer.
• Integrator (Larger or Long-Term Projects):  Integrators are tasked with larger projects that have multiple separate teams and sections, as well as integrating these different aspects into a cohesive unit. Typically, this Agile team role is only necessary for larger groups creating complex systems or multiple teams collaborating on a more substantial project.

Key Elements of Agile Planning

Agile planning elements revolve around empiricism, lifecycle, mindset, and the framework. All of these aspects focus on placing customer needs first and applying that to every decision, functionality, and problem.

As you work on Agile project plans, keep these vital elements in mind:  

• Agile Lifecycle: A product goes through a series of stages called the  Agile software development lifecycle . The six stages of Agile are concept, inception, iteration, release, maintenance, and retirement. Learn more about the  Agile software development lifecycle .
• Transparency:  Everyone on the team and stakeholders present the facts as they are in their interactions. Trust is essential, and all involved share the bad and good news. Everyone collaborates for the common organizational objective with no hidden agendas.
• Inspection: Inspection is the responsibility of everyone on the team. Inspections apply to the product, processes, people aspects, practices, and continuous improvements. 
• Adaptation:  Adaptation supports  continuous improvement , meaning adaptation based on inspection results. Use Agile values to increase ROI, make faster time to market, and create less waste. For example, achieving a faster time to market increases return on investment through value-based delivery, which reduces the total cost of ownership and improves customer and employee satisfaction.  
• Respect: You must have respect for the product, for customers, and for colleagues at every level of the business or organization. It’s also important to  respect all team members.
• Collaboration: Facilitating collaboration through tools, environmental surroundings, and behavioral norms can improve team discussions. 
• Improvement: There is always a way to improve processes and products. Building on knowledge is fundamental to Agile philosophy.
• Learning: Individuals share what they know and are encouraged to take risks – even if they fail. These activities increase the group’s knowledge throughout a project’s progress.
• Pride in Ownership: Everyone owns success in Agile. Team members should take pride in what they deliver collectively and strive to provide the highest quality of work.
• Delivering Value: The goal of Agile teams is to deliver value to the customer. The team focuses on what is the greatest value at the time and works with the knowledge that others in the organization will help remove roadblocks.
• Adapt to Change: If the customer calls a few hours following a meeting and demands changes, the team accommodates them.  
• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
• Working software over comprehensive documentation.
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
• Responding to change over following a plan.  
• Agile Terminology:  Agile practice has a unique language to describe stages and techniques in the planning process. Newcomers to Agile need to familiarize themselves with the full  array of project management terms for effective communication.

Steps in the Agile Project Planning Process

Steps in the Agile project planning process can be broken down into three sections: preparation, sprint, and execution. Preparation includes forming a vision, building a roadmap, and release planning. The sprint phase is the core of the planning process with its daily Scrum meetings and sprint reviews. Execution phase is when the release and sprint retrospective occur.   

Preparation Phase  

• Vision:  The vision provides the overview and purpose of the project. It describes the market, customer segments, and end-user needs. The vision sets the boundaries and context for features, requirements, and other work.
• Project or Product Roadmap: A product roadmap is the action plan to show how the solution or product will progress over time. Download this  product roadmap template to use as a framework to create a plan.
• User Stories: A user story is the term Agile uses for work requests. This brief, straightforward description is written from the customer’s perspective and stresses the client’s objectives and needs. The Agile team looks at the details in a user story to determine a realistic time frame to complete the project. Read this  guide to user stories to see how to use them in Agile planning. 

Sprint Phase  

• Release Planning: This plan is a dynamic document that covers how and when the organization will release a solution or product’s functionality and features. The plan incorporates prior iterations' feedback and the details of each release's scope, time, and resources. The team will use the plan to guide what they can deliver in each iteration and timeframe. Release plans are a way to communicate product status and progress with cross-functional teams, leaders, and stakeholders. 
• Sprint Planning: The Agile product owner, development team, and a Scrum master use a visual workboard to track status to plan project iterations. A whiteboard with sticky notes or a basic  Kanban board can serve this purpose. The team assigns story points to each task through Agile planning sessions. When requests are added to a project, it creates outstanding stories or a backlog, which is a prioritized list of deliverables. Stories from the backlog move into the sprint for completion. Learn more about  sprint planning and get  tips for managing a product backlog .
• Standup or Daily Scrum:  Every day, the team meets for 15 minutes or less to discuss the previous day’s completions, daily priorities, and roadblocks. These meetings assist the team in completing their work before the end of the sprint and discuss any needed changes. Learn how to  set up a daily Scrum meeting . 
• Sprint Review: The sprint review evaluates and demonstrates the shippable and valuable functionality completed during the sprint. The product owner gathers feedback and revises the backlog. The sprint review is open to all interested parties who want to review the sprint’s accomplishments. 

Execution Phase  

• Sprint Retrospective:  The  sprint retrospective meeting is an opportunity for the entire team to review the preceding sprint and explore ways to improve the next one. For example, they might want to improve upon the environment, collaboration, processes, practices, tools, and skill sets to improve morale, outcomes, work output, or velocity.
• Product Release: The solution or product is given to the customer. The release can be an initial release of a solution or product or adding features or changes to a previous release.

Agile Project Planning Starter Kit

Download the Agile Project Planning Starter Kit

We’ve created this Agile project planning starter kit to help you plan and organize your projects. This kit includes customizable templates to create your own product roadmap, a Scrum meeting kickoff checklist, an Agile Manifesto cheat sheet, an Agile poker planning deck, and more. Download the kit as a whole, or each template individually based on your needs.

Included in this kit, you’ll find the following templates:  

• An Agile Manifesto cheat sheet for Microsoft Word to quickly reference the four values and 12 principles of Agile.
• An Agile poker planning deck template for Microsoft Word to print your own  planning poker deck to prioritize tasks with your team.
• An Agile product roadmap template for Excel to help guide your product development process. 
• An Agile project plan template for Excel to help plan, track, and execute your next project using Agile best practices.
• An Agile capacity planning template for Excel to help manage the team’s bandwidth within a sprint.
• A Kanban board spreadsheet template for Excel to display your sprint plans on a Kanban board for easy viewing.
• A Scrum meeting checklist template for Microsoft Word to get your next Scrum meeting up and running as quickly as possible.
• An Agile sprint backlog template with burndown chart for Excel to keep track of story points, completed tasks, and remaining backlogged tasks within a sprint.
• An Agile retrospective template for Microsoft Word to review your Agile projects after their completion.

Agile Project Plan Example

This Agile project plan example is a repeatable framework you can customize and use for any future Agile project. See how the plans focus on sprints and releases. Decomposing releases results in iterations or sprints. Each sprint has a set time frame, and the team has a predefined list of items to work through in each sprint.  

Download the Agile Project Plan with Gantt Example Template for Excel

Agile Project Planning Best Practices

Agile project planning best practices aim to support the values and principles of the Agile manifesto. The goal is for a cohesive team to produce a successful project on time and on budget, and to deliver value to the customer.  

Best practices for the preparation phase include:  

• Know Your Roles:  Agile Coach Braun explains, “Not understanding roles in Agile results in what I call  bad Agile – and it's pretty common. Many organizations think they are Agile, but in practice, they aren’t. It's essential that each role is defined and that everyone involved understands how they will participate and the realities of Agile.”
• Whole Team Responsibility:  Shared responsibility and working toward mutual success is a cornerstone of Agile that needs to be emphasized throughout the project. 
• Think Small with User Stories: “The beauty of Agile is that by making the work small,  the faster you go through the project process, and the easier it is to validate the work,” shares Zucker.  Best practices for the sprint phase include:  
• Backlog Management and Timeboxed Meetings:  Keeping meetings timeboxed ensures there is time to create the end product. A rule of thumb is that if you have a week-long sprint, meetings should last less than two hours and no more than four hours for a two-week sprint. “One of the keys to well-used Agile is managing the product backlog efficiently,” notes Zucker. “This is where to make trade-offs with requirements prioritized as high, medium, and low priority in meetings.” 
• Progressive Elaboration: “Agile is about continuous improvements known as progressive elaboration, and it is the goal of mature Agile practice,” notes Zucker. The goal is to use more detailed and specific information to form more accurate estimates as the project progresses, so each iteration becomes more accurate and complete based on accumulated knowledge.
• Play Planning Poker:  In planning poker or Scrum poker, group members make estimates to complete user stories by playing numbered cards face-down instead of speaking them aloud. The turned-up cards reveal estimate times, and team members discuss the estimates and their reasons. It makes sense to use the Fibonacci sequence instead of doubling each subsequent value; simply doubling the effort of each subsequent task would result in overestimating timeframes. “Using the Fibonacci sequence to estimate the workload and break user stories down more accurately is invaluable in planning and backlog refinements and timeboxing,” stresses Zucker. The Fibonacci sequence is a mathematical sequence in which each subsequent number is determined by the sum of the two previous numbers, or 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21. The cards establish a scale or standard of comparison for estimating and increasing the accuracy of estimates. 
• Be Flexible: The way to learn and improve the quality is to remain nimble and make some (fixable) mistakes. “Be flexible. Rigidity is the death of Agile,” warns Braun. 

Best practices for the execution phase include:  

• Don’t Skimp on the Retrospective:  “An important best practice is to have retrospectives and take them seriously,” Braun notes. “Clients sometimes tell me,  ‘Oh, there are too many meetings; why do you have so many?’ First, short meetings are an important part of Agile. Clients who don’t want retrospectives, I stress that you must take the time to reflect on the work and what people are doing so you can learn and improve. Have actionable things come out of a retrospective.”

The Importance of Agile Project Planning

Agile project planning has made achieving customer satisfaction easier because of its simplicity and flexibility. Project managers can use this methodology to deliver products faster, produce higher-quality goods, and continuously improve operations.   

“One of the promises of Agile is built-in quality and not cutting corners. Also, we don't goldplate,” shares Agile Coach Braun. “In old systems, you beef something up and keep working on it to build additional functionality that no one asked for because it seems like a good idea. We'll do this. We don't say, oh, we accept defects. No, the best state is to have the built-in quality, and you test and fix it and then push it out. This is also the reason why iteration, especially in software development, is so powerful — when you're putting out stuff in small batches, you can fix things that go wrong more quickly rather than having a system down. At the same time, you troubleshoot a monolithic release.”   

Agile project planning offers multiple key benefits, including:  

• Continuous Improvement:  Continuous improvement, or Kaizen, grew out of the Agile model. It is a method for identifying opportunities for streamlining work and reducing waste. 
• Faster Delivery:  Agile project planning and management focuses on minimizing waste and providing incremental delivery to achieve higher revenue. This approach helps the project team move the product into the market faster than traditional project management.
• Better Risk Management and Less Costly Failures:  Earlier and more frequent opportunities, usually every few weeks, make it easier to detect failure and reduce the high costs related to it. The project management cycle can include several risks. If you use traditional project management, you could have problems identifying them before they affect the project. Agile management focuses on incremental releases and can bring such risks to bear during product development faster, and the project team can quickly respond. 
• Quick Response to Changes and Challenges: It is difficult to respond to or incorporate changes under traditional project management. Thus, achieving optimal customer satisfaction is almost impossible. However, project managers don’t need extra time to implement such changes under Agile, so businesses can offer a more feasible product to the target clientele, putting the company in a better position among its major competitors.
• Non-Productive Task Reduction:  The number and length of meetings are limited. There are fewer presentations and much less process documentation (except in hybrid practice).  Using collaboration platforms and direct communication in daily standup meetings outweighs the use of email.
• Better Communication:  Agile promotes improved connection between consumers and the project team. It creates an avenue for sustained interaction with clients, thereby delivering feedback more efficiently and at a faster pace. New ideas can be adopted easily and at a quicker rate.
• Improved Team Performance:  The traditional project management method has a long development cycle. Long time frames and extended product release periods aren’t desirable in today’s fast-evolving marketplace.
• Shorter Development Cycles:  Agile project planning shortens the development cycle. Teams can now easily adopt product changes without using substantial resources, making it easier to alter a project’s scope quickly.

Understanding the Difference Between Agile and Other Methodologies and Techniques

There are common misconceptions about what Agile is and isn’t. For example, Agile is not Scrum, but Scrum is always part of an Agile project plan.   

Various  project planning and management practices and frameworks live under the umbrella of Agile. They each have their place in Agile project planning and execution. The most commonly used are Scrum, which breaks work down into short cycles; Kanban, which visualizes workflow; and Hybrid, which combines Agile and Waterfall.  

Agile Planning vs. Scrum Planning

Agile project management philosophy employs a basic set of values or principles that focuses on continuous iteration. Scrum is an Agile framework that teams use to facilitate a project and deliver value in the shortest time frame.   

Leadership plays a vital role in the Agile process in collaborations and face-to-face interactions between cross-functional teams. Within the Scrum framework, teams are self-organizing and cooperative, thanks to daily standup meetings.

Agile Project Planning vs. Traditional Waterfall Project Planning

Agile project management is a 21st-century philosophy reliant on smaller groups and interactive releases throughout a project. Unlike Waterfall project planning, which is rigid and paces through defined phases, Agile leverages team collaboration, outside feedback, and flexibility to be successful.

“In Agile, the shared responsibility and self-management are simple, elegant, and hard for people to grasp,” notes Agile coach Braun. “In my practice, I must keep overcoming the cognitive dissonance between vertical and horizontal project planning – people are so used to being told what to do. The information is moving horizontally across teams instead of vertically. People are comfortable with the command and control in top-down Waterfall practice, so it takes training and guidance to unlearn.”

Long-Term Agile Project Planning

While it may seem contradictory, long-term Agile project planning is possible. Projects decomposed into smaller work packages make sense in short and long time-framed projects.  Agile planning is about generating ultimate value based on company strategy.

“The roadmap is key,” says Project Management Essentials’ Zucker. “Planning for many years as you work incrementally for interim goals and releases is possible. When working on projects with a long time horizon, review periodically to ensure you are still on the right track based on conditions.”

Long-term Agile planning makes sense because its frameworks and tools can deal with a future that will be different. Zucker comments, “Despite Agile’s ability to cope with more frequent and dynamic changes, long time frames offer quality time to invest in a true strategic conversation. Group desired outcomes into similar buckets, and map outcomes that will match overall success metrics in alignment with the organization's goals.”

How Smartsheet Makes Agile Planning Easy

From simple task management and project planning to complex resource and portfolio management, Smartsheet helps you improve collaboration and increase work velocity -- empowering you to get more done. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed.

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time. Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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Agile Planning: Step-by-Step Guide for Agile Projects and Sprints

Many companies implement Agile methodologies in their projects, seeking to increase overall productivity. Eventually, Agile-based projects are more successful than traditional ones: while the success rate of Agile projects is 42%, for traditional Waterfall projects, this rate is about 14% .

In this article, we’ll uncover the definition of Agile, the planning steps, the differences with Scrum planning, and some templates and software to use while planning your Agile projects.

Agile Project Management Definition

Agile is a flexible approach to project management . Originally applied to the development process, nowadays, Agile is widely used by many teams and industries. Without digging into Agile principles, we can define its main idea as the ability for projects to easily adapt to changes and new requirements.

The idea of change management affects Agile-based projects throughout their whole lifecycle. It means that when you plan a project, you should leave a space for changes. So, before starting a project, take some time to learn materiels and Agile planning essentials.

First of all, let’s handle some terms.

What is Planning in Agile

Agile planning is a widely-used management style. In a nutshell, it implies an iterative approach, so the project is divided into several phases, called iterations. In each iteration, there are a few sprints. Sprints are barely planned up ahead before starting a project. In most cases, Agile planning means that you’re adding changes and requests from stakeholders or owners to the work, so it’s impossible to plan what’s inside each sprint and interaction before starting working on a project.

Planning in Agile is based on feedback, requests, and user stories. Basically, we can split Agile planning into two phases: project and sprint planning. These phases require different actions and consist of different steps. We’ll analyze each phase separately in the paragraphs below.

Agile has multiple planning strategies and methodologies . One of the most popular is Scrum planning. However, even Scrum can be considered as one of Agile methodologies, Agile and Scrum planning are a bit different.

Scrum Approach in Agile Project Planning

Scrum is very similar to the Agile planning approach, but there are some concept differences between them. In simple words, Agile is a framework with core ideas and principles, while Scrm is just one of multiple methodologies to follow the Agile planning process.

In some paragraphs above, we mentioned sprints. Sprint is a common practice in Scrum. It helps to avoid in-depth planning when starting a project, so you can quickly adapt to new requirements and changes before starting a new sprint. The core planning tool in Scrum is a backlog. The backlog is the place where all requests, user stories, and other possible features are stored. Tasks in the backlog can be prioritized, divided into different categories, and literally segmented by any parameters. It helps to plan one sprint once the previous is finished. If some tasks are not completed within a sprint, they’re taken to the backlog, and they’ll be marked as the top priority in the next sprint.

In general, the Scrum approach to project planning outlines the following principles:

• Plan not an overall project, but each sprint.
• Start planning a new sprint only when the previous one is finished right away.
• Review your results after each sprint.
• Handle the retrospective meetings after a sprint or two to review the results of the whole team.

To learn how Scrum planning differs from Agile, let’s go to the main steps of the Agile planning process.

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Agile Project Planning Steps

Each project has its own schedule. Traditional Waterfall projects have strict steps and deadlines, but that’s not an option for flexible Agile projects. However, Agile projects have their own scheduling, and each step requires planning. But wait, this planning is not the same as in traditional projects, mostly because you don’t need to plan everything before the project starts.

Step 1. Form clear expectations for the final delivery of a project

Before starting a project, you must have a clear understanding of the final output. In Agile-based projects, the result depends on requests from stakeholders, users (or clients), and owners. Even if their needs are changing, you can plan actions iteratively to apply changes.

Step 2. Define the details and scope of work

You can’t say exactly when you’ll finish the task unless you know its details and the factors that can influence the ETA. Understanding how much work needs to be done is one of the steps of proper Agile planning.

Step 3. Form tasks based on user stories

User stories are problems that need to be solved. In most cases, stories are complex and need to be broken down into smaller tasks. Sometimes, it’s difficult to form an exact task, and you need to complete multiple activities to solve a problem instead. Such a sequence of tasks is epic and it can last more than one sprint.

Step 4. Populate the backlog

Once user stories are split into tasks and epics, it’s time to populate the backlog. Create tasks with clear titles and descriptions, so each teammate can understand what to do. When all tasks and epics are in the backlog, set priorities, assign responsible people, and estimate the effort of each task in story points.

Step 5. Plan sprints

Typically, each sprint is equal to the iteration. Sprints also have strict timelines, for example, two or three weeks. You simply can’t put all your tasks into one sprint, that’s exactly why you need backlog planning and priorities. Tasks that have a higher priority take to the sprint first, then come older ones.

Step 6. Make up documentation

In documentation, explain the main principles and rules of a project. It helps both teams and stakeholders understand the focus of a project and request only possible changes. Documentation can change from time to time as well, but as a whole, it needs to be clear and meaningful from the beginning.

Agile Sprint Planning Steps

We figured out what Agile planning is, and now it’s time to dive into sprint planning. You might think that it's a completely different topic, but in fact, sprint planning is a part of an overall Agile planning. Here are steps that Agile teams follow to plan a new sprint:

Step 1. Schedule a retrospective meeting

Once a sprint is completed, it’s time for a retrospective. Retrospective is a regular team meeting where all teammates discuss tasks, difficulties, and issues that happened during the sprint. Such meetings help to prevent future mistakes and understand which tasks need to be taken to the upcoming sprint.

Step 2. Discuss user stories

After each sprint, you’ll probably be receiving requests and reports from users, stakeholders, and owners. As we mentioned earlier, there are user stories. Discuss all recent user stories with teammates to decide if they need to be taken to the next sprint or if maybe they’re worth working on in the latest development stages.

Step 3. Split stories and epics into smaller tasks

Sometimes it happens that you can’t cover the user story or a task during one sprint, so it becomes an epic. Split complex activities into smaller tasks and assign them to your teammates. But it’s also important to consider who was responsible for the original complex task. Maybe it is worth assigning this person as a responsible follower to this task?

Step 4. Analyze your efforts

Analytics is an important part of planning. Before planning a new sprint, analyze the time taken to complete previous tasks, their estimates in story points , and the number of teammates who participated. It will help you to wisely manage both human and time resources while planning upcoming activities.

Step 5. Tools for Agile Planning and Project Management

There are many different tools for Agile team management . Starting with a simple whiteboard and sticky notes in the 90's, Agile tools made huge progress. Now, you don’t need to physically have everything around you, and you don’t even need to work with your teammates in one office.

Here are some basic Agile planning tools to use in Flowlu:

As it was stated before, backlog is a place where you create tasks, set priorities, and analyze if the task is worth taking to the sprint. In Flowlu, you have a backlog for each of your projects. It prevents a project from being messy and uncategorized.

• Interactive Board

All teams and companies have different requirements, so it’s important to have the possibility to set custom stages, manage tasks’ cards and visualize the whole workflow. In Flowlu, you can manage your projects with a handy Kanban board. On the board, you can filter tasks by sprints, assignees, priorities, etc..

• Burndown Chart

The burndown chart is a widely used tool among Agile teams. This chart allows you to see how fast your team is closing tasks. In comparison to traditional charts, burndown charts show positive results if they go down because they reflect the number of tasks that need to be done.

• Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart was taken from traditional project management methodologies. However, in Flowlu, you can see it as a part of the Agile module as well. It helps to understand how much time was taken to complete each sprint or epic.

• Retrospective Template

Retrospective is a must-have for all Agile teams, but barely any managers know how to run such meetings. If you don’t have any ideas what to ask your team, Flowlu’s retrospective template builder will help you plan questions and the whole meeting.

Agile Planning: Why You Need It

Planning your project according to the Agile method can help you easily adapt to changes and implement new ideas or technologies into your workflow. Why is it worth it? Simply put, it keeps all your teammates engaged and provides transparency to all processes, so you can understand the reason for difficulties and quickly handle them.

Agile project planning is an iterative approach to project management that focuses on delivering working software in short cycles.

• Flexibility:  Agile projects are more flexible than traditional projects because they can be changed as needed to meet the needs of the customer.
• Speed:  Agile projects can deliver working software to the customer more quickly than traditional projects because they are broken down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
• Quality:  Agile projects typically produce higher-quality software than traditional projects because they involve continuous feedback from the customer.
• Customer satisfaction:  Agile projects are more likely to satisfy customers because they involve close collaboration with the customer throughout the development process.
• Getting buy-in from stakeholders:  It can be difficult to get buy-in from stakeholders for Agile projects because they require a different way of thinking about project management.
• Managing scope creep:  It can be difficult to manage scope creep in Agile projects because the requirements are constantly evolving.
• Keeping the team focused:  It can be difficult to keep the team focused on a specific set of tasks during a sprint, especially if there are distractions or interruptions.
• Measuring progress:  It can be difficult to measure progress in Agile projects because the requirements are constantly changing.
• Set clear and concise goals
• Prioritize the work
• Break down the work into small tasks
• Estimate the effort required for each task
• Communicate regularly

Agile Planning: a Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

An Agile project plan is a must in today’s volatile knowledge work environment. Learn more about the Agile planning process in the following paragraphs.

• Agile Project Management Principles
• Building an Agile Workflow
• What Is Agile Planning?

Agile Implementation

Agile Metrics

• Structuring Work with Agile
• Agile Retrospective
• Agile Epics
• Agile User Stories
• Agile Estimation
• Agile Reporting
• Agile Ceremonies
• Benefits of Agile Project Management
• Agile Best Practices
• Top Agile PM Tools
• Agile vs. Waterfall
• Agile Terms
• Different Agile Methodologies
• Agile Teams
• Agile Organization
• Operational Agility
• Organizational Agility
• Agile Portfolio Management
• Lean Portfolio Management
• Agile Scaling Frameworks
• Agile in Engineering
• Agile in Construction
• Agile in Aerospace
• Agile in Automotive
• Agile in Pharma
• Agile Transformation Roadmap
• Enterprise Agile Transformation
• Agile Mindset
• Digital Transformation Strategy
• Digital Transformation Benefits
• Digital Transformation Examples
• Business Agility Transformation
• Business Agility Assessment
• Business Agility Examples

"Failing to plan is planning to fail." This quote by the time management expert Alan Lakein perfectly summarizes the importance of planning in project management. As much as we hate fixed dates and fixed scopes in the Agile world, it is the everyday life of many organizations, and we cannot just ignore its importance.

Even if we go outside the realm of fixed-date, fixed-scope projects and dive into the product development world, planning is still of crucial importance. Most customers won't commit their budget to an open-ended specification and demand a delivery date alongside the quote.

Assuming such a reality, a natural question to ask is, "How do we create an agile project plan?". This is a tough question, and most materials on the topic only cover the software development practice. It creates an impression that Agile is suitable only for the software industry, but nothing could be further from the truth.

We will demonstrate how your organization can start with agile planning in an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide.

What Is Agile Planning? 

Agile planning is an iterative approach to managing projects avoiding the traditional concept of detailed project planning with a fixed date and scope. Based on the principles rooted in the Agile Manifesto, Agile project planning emphasizes frequent value delivery, constant end-user feedback, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Unlike traditional project planning, Agile planning remains flexible and adaptable to changes that may emerge at any project lifecycle stage. 

Why Is Agile Planning Important? 

Agile planning provides teams with a framework for managing projects that allows them to be more flexible and adaptable to changes, customer-focused and continuously improve their processes by learning from their experience. 

Through regular feedback loops, teams are engaged in knowledge sharing and synchronizing of project goals and customer wants. This helps them to adjust their plans and prioritize their work based on the new information. In addition, Agile planning promotes frequent delivery of small batches of work and early risk identification and mitigation. 

What Are the Steps in the Agile Planning Process? 

The process of Agile planning may vary for the different Agile methodologies . However, there are some general steps that are involved in Agile planning: 

• Define project goals : project planning starts with clearly defining what the purpose of this project is. This will create direction for the team to follow and ensure that all efforts are aligned with the primary goals. 
• Load backlog with work items : identify what needs to be done to complete a project. Agile teams use work elements like initiatives, epics/ projects and tasks/ user stories to build their work structure and create an alignment between the project goals and execution.
• Release planning : review the backlog and determine the order of work execution. In Scrum, teams conduct Sprint planning, choosing the next highest priority items to execute in the sprint. Kanban teams use historical data to estimate project length and use Kanban boards as a planning tool to prioritize upcoming work. 
• Daily stand-up : holding a daily meeting will ensure everyone on the team is in the loop. This meeting aims to identify and resolve issues, find new opportunities for improvement and discuss project progress. 
• Process review : examine the end-to-end flow of work from initiation to customer delivery. Gather feedback to identify areas for future improvements. Scrum teams do that during Sprint Review and Retrospective meetings, while Kanban teams have Service Delivery Review meetings. 

How Agile Project Planning Differs from the Traditional Project Planning?

In the past, business leaders spent enormous amounts of time laying out detailed plans of execution for years in the future.

For a long time, this way of planning worked perfectly. However, as markets became more dynamic in the last decades of the 20th century, business requirements began to change more frequently, and a new, more flexible way of planning was necessary.

Тhis need became obvious and somewhat critical with the rise of knowledge work. While just 50 years ago people worked primarily in factories, these days the work gets done in offices, where people use their heads more than their hands. It is precise knowledge work where an Agile project plan is most needed.

The main difference between Agile planning and the traditional way (also known as Waterfall) is that the first one is iterative and adaptive to changes. In contrast, the second one is a step-by-step heavy planning process.

We have to mention that both approaches have their virtues. When you're building a bridge or a building, you want to have a very detailed and well-thought-of plan. Here, welcoming requirements late in the process with an Agile project plan is not the most suitable approach. Of course, it can happen, but changes might be costly to implement.

However, in knowledge work, change is welcome at any stage of the process, even at the very end. The goal is to create a solution that satisfies customers, and everything is allowed. Simply said, in Agile project management , you lay down detailed plans only for shorter time frames, and you can easily make changes when needed.

Agile Planning Is NOT Scrum Planning

Often you will read that Agile planning is the same as Scrum planning. However, this is far from the truth. Scrum is a prescriptive framework for software development that proposes one concrete way to plan. It is prevalent in the software world, but it is often the subject of severe criticism.

We won't go into the details of why Scrum planning is flawed, as we would rather talk about Agile thinking applied across various industries and not just software. It is more important to know how to apply generic techniques and practices on the global company level, regardless of the business type. For the time being, it is only essential to know that Agile Planning does not necessarily involve the Scrum framework at all.

The 6 Levels of Agile Planning

The "Agile Planning Onion" best describes the different levels at which you can plan your Agile project lifecycle.  

Let's have a look at each level from a product development perspective: 

Strategy : The outermost layer of the onion represents the overall strategic vision and goals of an organization and how they are going to be achieved. It is usually conducted by the senior leadership team.    

Portfolio : At this level, senior managers discuss and plan out the portfolio of products and services that will support the execution of the strategy defined in the previous level. 

Product : Teams create a high-level plan and break it down into significant deliverables of key features and functionalities that will contribute to accomplishing the strategic objectives.  

Release : The key features defined are set to be delivered within a time-framed box (usually a month).  

Iteration : This level focuses on managing work in a timeframe of a few weeks. Teams select several individual tasks or user stories from the backlog to deliver in small batches. 

Daily : The goal of the daily planning meetings is for teams to walk through their tasks and discuss project progress and any impediments threatening the process. During this time, they create an action plan for the next steps of the project execution. 

It is fundamentally essential to grasp the idea that Agile planning applies to every slice of the onion. You don't just do Agile on the team level (Day, Iteration, Release). You can have an Agile product management service, Agile portfolio management , and Agile strategy. Being agile in your strategy is what defines business agility.

As we already stated but didn't explain, Agile planning is iterative. This means that you develop and adjust your plan multiple times as you find necessary. The goal is to invest time in planning at the best possible moment and adapt to changes easily if they occur during the execution phase.

What Are the Main Characteristics of Agile Planning? 

Irrespective of the level at which you operate, your Agile project plan will have similar characteristics. Let's explore them in no particular order.

The Goal from the Eyes of a Customer (Value)

An Agile plan must consider what exactly the customer wants. If we need to borrow a term from the Lean dictionary, we will use the word Value. In other words, our plan must be clear on how and when we are going to deliver value to the customer. In this regard, the more the plan is focused on outcomes, the better. If you are used to putting activities inside the plan, think again. Is it crucial to know what people do or what value they have produced?

Lack of Detail Whenever It Can Be Avoided (Commit as late as possible)

Imagine you're preparing for an expedition to a high mountain that hasn't been explored before. You will have a rough estimate of the duration of the expedition to prepare enough food and water. However, you won't know if there's a place suitable for camping and where that place might be at all.

Many projects in the knowledge work realm are quite similar to the described expedition. You know a lot about the project in advance but not enough to commit to every single piece of it. Yet, many managers insist on having a strict, detailed plan for every single project deliverable. Interestingly, we are offloading the commitment to the last responsible moment in real life, but we fail to do so in our project plan.

Frequent Deliveries and Fast Feedback Loops (Small Batch Size)

An Agile plan should accommodate frequent deliveries and make the collection of feedback explicit. Indeed, the feedback taken should be reflected in the next version of the plan, which would improve the likelihood of successful project closure.

Projects are big batches of work, by definition. However, there is no obligation to deliver them all at once. Most customers would want to have an early preview of the results to ensure that the project does not deviate too much from what they expect.

Suppose the project team misunderstood the requirements and set off to work on something completely different from what you envisioned as a customer. Would you rather give them feedback early on or wait until the project deadline? It is more than natural to have frequent feedback loops early in the cycle and prevent wasting precious time and resources.

Date Ranges instead of Single Date Estimates (Probabilistic vs. Deterministic)

Customers usually expect a fixed date when they ask about the project duration. But you would be surprised how many customers would actually approve if you provided a date range instead of a single date.

As they say, it's better to be roughly right than to be precisely wrong. And this is what we would encourage everyone to do – use date ranges based on historical data and forecasting methods to create an Agile project timeline for your plan.

Focus on the Work and Not the Worker (Team Is the Owner)

This comes from the same perspective as the late commitment example. If you assign people to the jobs too early, you're risking doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. From the perspective that we care about the flow of work and not necessarily utilizing every worker at 100%, it’s OK to leave a self-organizing team around the project.

It is most certainly true that you have specialists on the team, which creates many dependencies, especially in larger companies. An Agile coach's natural response would be to eliminate the dependencies, but this is an answer detached from the real world. You can't just remove all dependencies without creating a ton of problems elsewhere in the organization.

The reasonable approach is to manage dependencies coming from the holistic view of your organization and value streams. If the flow of value to the customer is blocked because of team X, then that's where you should be focusing on, even if it means that team Y will have nothing to work on.

This is a bit radical and requires a paradigm shift, but it's a fundamental concept in Lean and Agile project planning. It's needless to say that in such situations, your plan has to reflect the focus on block/issue resolution with less focus on employee utilization.

No Separate Phase for Quality Assurance (Build Quality in)

Toyota became the biggest car manufacturer in less than 50 years, starting from a small family company. One of the principles they used was "Build quality in", which means that no time should be spent fixing the product after it has exited the production line.

It would be best if you strive for the same level of quality during the execution phase of the project and, by any means, try to avoid a final "Quality Assurance" phase. If you have a big final quality assurance phase, you've most likely ignored the quality aspect throughout the project life cycle, and once you get into the quality phase, things start to look ugly.

Of course, it's better to have a final quality check instead of shipping a defective product, but this should be an exception rather than the norm.

Two-tiered Plans (Plan Only the Initiatives and Not the Work Items)

This is one of the essential characteristics of an effective Agile plan. If you have a high-level plan of all major deliverables, it's easy to break these initiatives down into tasks  and then pass the tasks to the actual execution teams.

While this might sound trivial, it represents a substantial difference compared to the traditional Gantt chart plans. When you break down an initiative (project deliverable) into its comprising tasks, we recommend that no start and end dates are determined for the tasks unless necessary.

For example, a task representing the creation of posters for a concert would be useless after the concert, so it must have a deadline attached to it. However, more often than not, tasks won't have any real deadline.

When you skip the start/end dates for all individual tasks, you allow your teams to pull new work when they have the capacity and not when you thought they should have the capacity. The word PULL here is used on purpose, as it illustrates the pull system principle that we know so well from Toyota.

The fact that you put start and end dates to the initiative but leave out the dates from its children tasks detaches the planning from the execution. This way, you maintain the Agile project plan in terms of time and commitment, but you allow your teams to make the optimal decision, as they are the ones closest to the work's technical details.

Data-driven Decisions (Use Historical Data to Plan the Future)

If you use the Kanban method to run the day-to-day tasks in your teams, it is easy to employ statistical methods for data-driven forecasting. One such method widely used in the Agile world is the so-called Monte Carlo simulations.

The Monte Carlo simulations take as input historical data (throughput and cycle time). Then, with the help of mathematical algorithms, simulate thousands of possible outcomes for your project. After assessing all the possible outcomes, the Monte Carlo simulation provides information about the project's potential completion dates with some probability attached to the forecast.

For example, a Monte Carlo simulation can forecast an 85% probability that your project will finish by the 2nd of July. Alternatively, the forecast can tell you that there is a 95% probability that you will deliver 200 tasks or more by your deadline. This gives a good indication of the project status, and it's based entirely on statistics, which can save you the trouble of estimating all tasks one by one.

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Tools for Agile project management  combine this idea with the previous one (two-tiered plans) to create a continuous forecasting system that informs managers of all projects' actual status and their deliverables. Businessmap's software platform extends this type of continuous forecasting to the portfolio level, as it's easy to see a real-time forecast of all projects in the portfolio. All you need to do is run the day-to-day tasks in a set of team Kanban boards and connect them to the parent projects.

Agile Project Plan Example

As we've already discussed Agile planning characteristics, let's look at a practical example of building an Agile plan and how we do it at Businessmap.

Defining Major Project Deliverables or Releases

Let's say we have to plan the creation of a new website. As the scope for that is quite big, the first thing that we would do is define different functional parts (deliverables) that will be continuously released to the market.

Here, we should note that we won't plan the deliverables in detail. An Agile project plan leaves this for the "last responsible moment" and includes it progressively throughout the project. This will save us the otherwise wasted time of unnecessary planning and help us retain agility for any emerging changes.

To build a roadmap for the execution of the deliverables, you can use an Agile project timeline. In Businessmap, for example, we use a Kanban timeline (as seen from below) to accomplish that. You can then input one or more of the deliverables to be executed in parallel or visualize a sequence when some of them are dependent on one another.

Breaking Down Deliverables into Tasks

Once we have the major functional parts of the project visualized in a roadmap-like view, our next step would be to break them down into individual tasks. As we progressively elaborate on our Agile plans, we will start with the most critical deliverables at this point.

To visualize the tasks and their flow to completion, you can use a dedicated Kanban board. In our platform, we connect the Agile timeline containing the project roadmap and the Kanban board.

This gives an unmatched view of the entire project progress from concept to fruition. As a result, we can see which deliverables are currently in progress, their status, and who is working on what at any given moment. This setup also allows us to collaborate with one another when tasks get stuck in the process and resolve issues faster.

Through the concept of " just in time " planning, we can retain agility for any last-minute changes, emerging requirements, or shifting priorities. This allows us better to satisfy customer needs with the delivery of our projects.

Agile Planning Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 

What are the 6 levels of agile planning .

Embracing business agility in a company means that Agile planning applies to every team and organizational level. According to the popular “Agile Planning Onion” model, the 6 levels of Agile planning are daily, iteration, release, product, portfolio, and strategy.

How Do You Estimate Work in Agile Planning? 

Using techniques such as T-shirt sizing or story points, agile teams estimate the complexity and effort needed to complete a user story or task.

Can Agile Planning Be Combined with Other Project Management Methodologies? 

Yes. Combining Agile planning with Scrum, Kanban, and other Agile methods can tailor the planning process to fit the needs of the project.

We offer the most flexible software platform

for outcome-driven enterprise agility.

Agile planning is a new, flexible way of organizing future projects and adjusting to changing requirements without generating waste. These are the most important characteristics of a good Agile plan:

• A goal from the eyes of a customer
• Lack of detail whenever it can be avoided
• Frequent deliveries
• Date ranges instead of single date estimates
• Focus on the work and not the worker
• No separate phases for Quality Assurance
• Two-tiered plans
• Data-driven

Nikolay Tsonev

Product Marketing | PMI Agile | SAFe Agilist certified

Nick is passionate about product marketing and business development and is a subject matter expert at Businessmap. With expertise in OKRs, strategy execution, Agile, and Kanban, he continues to drive his interest in continuous improvement. Nick is a PMI Agile and SAFe Agilist certified practitioner.

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Agile project management is a method that divides larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks and shorter time segments. Agile project management has grown in popularity in recent years as teams strive to tackle project management challenges in a more flexible and dynamic manner. Read on to learn more about the benefits, history, and implementation of Agile project management. 

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What is Agile Project Management?

Agile project management is a methodology that focuses on breaking the larger project lifecycle into more approachable portions of time and smaller tasks. Rather than delivering project deliverables and products at the conclusion of a project, Agile project management prioritizes the delivery of a working product throughout the process, allowing the project team and stakeholders to work closely together during the course of the project execution while providing feedback—not just during the project post-mortem. 

Compared to other more traditional methods of project management, Agile project management is less rigid, which gives teams the ability to pivot in new directions as needed and adapt to changing circumstances or project needs.

Key Agile Principles 

According to the Agile Alliance , there are 12 foundational principles of Agile project management:

• Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through the early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
• Welcome changing requirements, even late in development . Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
• Deliver working software (or products) frequently , from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale .
• Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
• Build projects around motivated individuals . Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done .
• The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation .
• Working software (and products) are the primary measure of progress.
• Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
• Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
• Simplicity —the art of maximizing the amount of work not done— is essential .
• The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams .
• At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Comparing Agile to Traditional Project Management

Agile vs waterfall: fast facts.

Agile and Waterfall are two of the most well-recognized project management methodologies today. The two methods are often referenced as opposites, but the relationship between Waterfall and Agile is more complex than that. 

Here are a few fast facts about Agile and Waterfall:

• The Agile methodology was created as a response to some of the limitations that fast-moving project teams faced when navigating projects using more traditional methods, namely, Waterfall.
• Teams are not exclusively limited to the use of one methodology over another. While one project may require the rigid structure of Waterfall, another may require the flexibility of Agile.
• Moreover, hybrid approaches are possible in project management. In select circumstances, project teams may find great success in combining specific guidelines from Waterfall and Agile.

Overall, there are 6 main factors to consider when comparing Agile and Waterfall.

Read more: Agile vs Waterfall: What’s the Difference?

Popular Agile Frameworks

Defining frameworks in project management.

Project management frameworks represent a smaller subset of project management methodologies that provide more room for application. Whereas project management methodologies represent rigid rules and practices for completing a project, frameworks operate as a subset of methodologies, offering more flexible adaptations of how those rules can be applied in project management. Kanban

The Kanban framework is based on the Japanese word kanban , meaning visual card. Fittingly, the Kanban framework uses a card-like layout to represent each task within a project, dividing the project as a whole into three categories: to-do, in progress, and completed. As tasks hit milestones, they are moved under the category that reflects their current status, which makes it easy for project teams to visualize where individual tasks are in the larger project lifecycle. 

Whereas Kanban largely focuses on project visualization and task management strategies for applying Agile, Scrum breaks down projects into smaller “sprints” of time that are isolated from the rest of the project. Once these periods of time are divided, a unique form of project manager, called a Scrum Master, helps guide the team through each Sprint. The Scrum framework also outlines other unique meeting types, roles, and more. 

eXtreme Programming (XP)

XP is an Agile framework geared toward software development teams that aims to help teams overcome common challenges in creating software. XP has 12 supporting processes that help outline the framework: 

• Planning game 
• Small releases 
• Customer acceptance tests 
• Simple design 
• Pair programming 
• Test-driven development 
• Refactoring 
• Continuous integration 
• Collective code ownership 
• Coding standards 
• Metaphor 
• Sustainable pace

Pros and Cons of Agile

History of agile project management.

Agile project management came about as a response to the 1990s technology boom when developers of new technologies realized the limitations of methodologies, like Waterfall, that were not designed to produce a tangible product quickly. 

In response, a group of 17 developers met in Snowbird, Utah, to discuss ideas together as “organizational anarchists” seeking to find a better way. After three days of discussion, they settled on the foundational ideas of modern Agile project management. 

Read more: What is Project Management?

Who is Agile best for?

While Agile may not be the best choice for every team or every project, there are a variety of situations where Agile practices can be a great fit:

• When project parameters are uncertain or rapidly changing
• Ongoing projects without a predetermined timeline
• For projects or teams that need a high degree of flexibility
• Software development teams and product developers who need a working product ASAP
• For teams who are facilitating collaboration between multiple teams (such as developers and marketing personnel)

When should Agile NOT be used?

Agile is a powerful methodology, but it isn’t the best choice in every situation. Here are some examples of situations where Agile should not be used:

• Projects or teams that need a very predictable project timeline
• Projects or teams that need clear project outcomes and a high level of documentation
• Projects with strict budgets
• Teams that struggle to self-organize or struggle with unpredictable staffing

Can I use the Agile methodology in combination with another methodology?

 In short, yes. Hybrid approaches to projects often happen when a team wants to include certain parameters of a project management methodology, but not others.

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What Is Agile Methodology in Project Management?

• 1.  Project Management Basics
• 2.  Project Management Methodologies
• 3.  Project Management Life Cycle
• 4.  Best Project Management Software
• 5.  Team Collaboration Tips
• 6.  Agile Methodology Basics
• 7.  Agile Project Management Tools & Techniques
• 8.  Project Management Frameworks
• 9.  Resources
• 10.  Glossary
• Advanced Terminology
• Methodologies
• PM Software Features
• Basic Terminology
• Professional Development
• Agile Project Management

What Is Agile Methodology?

Agile methodology is a project management approach that prioritizes cross-functional collaboration and continuous improvement. It divides projects into smaller phases and guides teams through cycles of planning, execution, and evaluation.

In this article, we share everything you need to know about Agile methodologies, Agile project management, Agile methodology frameworks, and how to implement them in your team. We’ll also share our Agile teamwork template to get started with Agile even faster.

[ Continue reading after the links ]

Quick links to explore Agile methodology related topics

• Agile Methodology basics
• Different types of Agile methodologies
• Four pillars of Agile
• Six stages of the Agile life cycle
• Agile Guide (complete guide)
• Scrum Guide (complete guide)
• Kanban Guide (complete guide)

Agile methodologies overview

The Agile Manifesto for Software Development put forth a groundbreaking mindset on delivering value and collaborating with customers when it was created in 2001.

Agile’s four main values are:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

You can read more about the four pillars of Agile in our Agile guide.

What is Agile project management?

Agile project management is a process for managing a project that involves constant collaboration and working in iterations. It works off the basis that a project can be continuously improved upon throughout its life cycle and adapt to changes quickly.

What are the benefits of using Agile methodology?

Agile is one of the most popular approaches to project management because it is flexible, it is adaptable to changes and it encourages customer feedback.

Many teams embrace the Agile approach for the following reasons:

• Rapid progress: By effectively reducing the time it takes to complete various stages of a project, teams can elicit feedback in real time and produce working prototypes or demos throughout the process
• Customer and stakeholder alignment: Through focusing on customer concerns and stakeholder feedback, the Agile team is well positioned to produce results that satisfy the right people
• Continuous improvement: As an iterative approach, Agile project management allows teams to chip away at tasks until they reach the best end result

You can read more about the six stages of the Agile life cycle in our Agile guide.

See below an example from Wrike’s Agile project management dashboard from our Agile teamwork template . 

[ Continue reading after the image ]

Types of Agile methodologies

Agile project management is not a singular framework but an umbrella term that includes a wide range of methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), and the Adaptive Project Framework (APF).

Scrum: It is ideal for projects with rapidly changing requirements, using short sprints. Kanban: It visualizes project progress and is great for tasks requiring steady output. Lean: It streamlines processes, eliminating waste for customer value. Extreme Programming (XP): It enhances software quality and responsiveness to customer satisfaction. Adaptive Project Framework (APF): Works well for projects with unclear details, as it adapts to constantly evolving client needs.

You can learn more about the different types of Agile methodologies in our guide.

Agile methodologies vs. traditional approaches

So, how do these Agile methodologies compare to traditional approaches to project management? Let’s highlight the Waterfall approach as an example.

When working with this traditional methodology, teams would follow a strictly linear sequence: requirements gathering, design, build, test, deliver. They are required to complete one phase before moving on to the next one. Changes are difficult to incorporate once a stage is completed and customer interactions are limited. As a result, Waterfall suits projects with fixed guidelines and minimal changes. 

By comparison, Agile methodologies are far more fluid in nature. Every Agile framework emphasizes a degree of adaptability, breaking projects into phases and embracing changing requirements. Through iterations and incremental efforts, they incorporate collaboration and customer feedback, leading to continuous improvement.

Agile in software development

Agile enables software development teams to stay adaptable.

With an iterative and adaptive approach, the aim is to produce the highest-quality software product that puts the customer at the heart of the process. By prioritizing flexibility, Agile teams can quickly react to changes, deliver products faster, and thrive in a collaborative environment.

By building Agile teams with the right qualities — such as self-organization and effective collaboration — you can accelerate the software development process while leaving space for vital customer feedback.

One of the most compelling reasons to adopt the Agile approach in software development is the dynamic workflows and work systems that contribute to a better end product. By listening to customer feedback and carrying out several iterations and rounds of software testing, you can iron out any kinks along the way and build the best possible software.

The Agile software development life cycle helps you break down each project you take on into six simple stages:

• Concept: Define the project scope and priorities
• Inception: Build the Agile team according to project requirements 
• Iteration: Create code factoring in customer feedback 
• Release: Test the code and troubleshoot any issues
• Maintenance: Provide ongoing tech support to ensure the product remains serviceable
• Retirement: The end of the product lifespan, which often coincides with the beginning of a new one

Read more about the Agile software development life cycle in our Agile guide.

Agile methodology in non-software projects

While many think of the Agile methodology as a solution mostly for the software industry, its applications extend far beyond.

Here are some examples of Agile methodology in action in various project types:

Marketing campaigns

By bringing together designers, marketers, writers and colleagues from other departments, you can build a cross-functional team ready to tackle marketing campaigns. Using sprints and a task backlog, you can identify the highest-priority tasks and streamline the execution.

To explore this approach, download the eBook 7 steps to developing an Agile Marketing Team . 

Event planning

Agile methodologies lend themselves well to event planning, as each part of the event can be broken down into a sprint, and daily standups or Kanban boards can help you maintain a clear strategic direction at all times.

Product development

As you might imagine, since Agile methodology works for virtual products, it can work just as well for physical products. This time, though, instead of troubleshooting code, you’ll be diagnosing and fixing prototypes.

Generally, to get the best out of any of the Agile methodologies for non-software projects, you should always aim to keep the customer in mind. Just as Agile software development must factor in the end user, non-software use cases benefit from a customer-focused approach.

By integrating the customer and their feedback in everything you do, you can better organize your priorities and plan your phases. It’s also a good idea to evaluate whether you need a systematic approach to tackling major projects or an easy-to-follow visual workflow for a series of smaller projects, as this can influence which framework is best for your team.

How to implement Agile methodology into projects

If you’re wondering how to apply these theoretical frameworks to your team’s workflows, here’s a step-by-step guide for Agile methodology implementation: 

1. Choose the right Agile framework

Your first priority is to select the right Agile framework for your team. 

Here’s a reminder of some of the most popular options:

• Scrum: Principle-based project management
• Kanban: Visual workflows and processes
• Scrumban: Hybrid of Scrum and Kanban
• XP: Customer-focused product development
• APF: Versatile teamwork

When selecting an Agile framework, consider the size of your team, the specific project requirements, and the level of experience your team has with the various methodologies. 

The more you know about your team and the projects you handle on a regular basis, the easier it will be for you to pick the right framework every time. 

2. Assemble your Agile team

An Agile team isn’t like any ordinary team.

If you want to find success with any of the Agile methodologies, you need to build a team with clear roles and responsibilities and a culture of collaboration.

What are some of the responsibilities of an Agile team?

• Self-organization : One of the cornerstones of an Agile team is the ability to self-organize. In Agile project management, the onus is on individual team members and teams to take initiative and organize themselves in a way that will lead to the highest output.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Going hand in hand with the need for self-organization is the Agile demand for cross-functional collaboration. Agile teams have to relay information across departments and be able to work closely with a range of colleagues.
• Iteration planning: Specific to Agile project management, iteration planning requires team members to outline the scope of individual sprints according to the product backlog.

3. Plan the project

Now that you’ve selected one of the Agile methods and assembled your A-team, it’s time to plan out your project.

Meticulous planning is one of the secret ingredients of successful Agile project management.

From the outset, you need to spend time clearly defining your project goals and scope. This will prevent unexpected setbacks and allow you to break down each portion of the project into manageable sprints (if you’re using Scrum).

You might also draw up a product backlog during the planning phase, which is most common in software development projects. The product backlog allows you to assign a priority level to your tasks so everyone on the team knows what they should focus on.

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4. Manage stakeholder expectations 

Before you get your project underway, it’s important to check in with any key stakeholders to make sure you factor in their feedback.

Depending on the level of their involvement, your project stakeholders may then want to be kept in the loop throughout the process or at least receive regular updates. Creating feedback loops eases any uncertainty on the stakeholder end and allows you to stay open to change should it be necessary at any stage of the process.

5. Measure success 

Measuring project success is key to making meaningful progress with your Agile methodology of choice.

By paying attention to what worked and what didn’t during the project management process, you can extract key lessons to apply to future Agile projects. 

There are various ways to effectively track progress and measure success with Agile projects:

• Daily standups: Brief meetings to discuss obstacles and find solutions
• Sprint reviews : Informal sit-down meetings to present work and solicit team feedback
• Retrospectives: Reflections on past work to inspire and influence future progress

You should also introduce key performance indicators (KPIs) before embarking on any new major project, as getting specific will help you establish milestones and measure progress.

Implement Agile methodologies with Wrike

Now, you’re probably ready to start using Agile in project management following the steps we’ve shared . Wrike’s work management platform can support your team with resources to manage all - sprints, backlogs, and more. 

Our Agile teamwork template will help you set up your processes and launch your first project with Agile. Once you’re underway, you can use Kanban boards to manage your team’s workflows, visualizing progress and simplifying the process of assigning and completing tasks.

You can also use Wrike to oversee progress across your different departments  with cross-tagging and project dashboards that update to reflect changes in real time.

So, get started with Agile today and empower your projects in one platform.

Further reading:

• Agile Guide
• Scrum Guide
• Kanban Guide
• Should Your Business Go Agile? (Infographic)
• 8 Attitudes Guaranteed to Sink Your Agile Projects
• Is Agile Viable for Marketing Teams?

Basic Project Management

• Project Charter
• Project Management Stakeholders
• What is a Project?
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Project Objectives
• Project Baseline
• Project Management Scheduling
• Project Management Work Packages
• Project Management Scope
• Scope Creep

Advanced Project Management

• What is PERT?
• Network Diagram
• Risk Management
• Cost Estimation
• Feasibility Study
• Monte Carlo Analysis
• Project Integration
• Cost Management
• PMI Project Management
• What To Do With Certification
• Certification
• Become Certified
• PMP Certification
• Best Certification

Software Features

• Critical Success Factors
• Capacity Planning
• User Role Access Permissions
• Time Tracking
• Budget Tracking
• Request Forms
• Work Assignments
• Version Control
• Dependency Managements
• Project management Milestones
• Project Management Software
• Project Management Tools
• Project Management System
• Gantt Charts

A Complete Guide to Agile Methodology in Project Management

The problem: There’s a lot of information out there about Agile methodology. Some of it is good. Some of it isn’t so good. Some of it is just plain bad.

That’s why we’ve put together this complete guide to Agile methodology. We’ll be covering:

What is Agile methodology?

Agile methodology advantages and disadvantages, agile methodology vs. traditional project management, types of agile methodology, misconceptions about agile methodology, 4 steps to create an agile workflow for your team, 3 tips for creating an effective agile workflow, 5 books on agile methodology worth reading.

Let’s get it on!

An Agile methodology is an approach to project management processes, mainly used for software development.

Stem from Agile Manifesto ’s values and principles, Agile methodology encourages flexibility, adaptability, communication, and collaboration in a team. It comes with many practices you can adopt to your team easily and achieve great results.

Agile Manifesto

Developed by 17 software development practitioners, Agile Manifesto is a declaration of 4 values and 12 principles in Agile methodology.

By following Agile Manifesto, you can develop better ways to build software, boost project performance, and enhance team collaboration.

Agile Manifesto’s 4 values include:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools . Once all members are on the same page, the team can resolve any issues with available tools or processes.
• Working software over comprehensive documentation . Documentation is necessary. But a working product is a much better option to fulfill customer expectations than tons of documentation.
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation . Instead of a one-time negotiation, involve customers over the whole product lifecycle to get to know their needs better.
• Responding to change over following a plan . Changes are unpredictable, inevitable, planned or unplanned, linear or nonlinear. That’s why a fixed plan doesn’t always work.

Agile Manifesto’s 12 principles:

• Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software . Keep customers updated with deliverables and iterations across regular intervals, rather than not receiving anything until final product delivery.
• Welcome changing requirements, even late in development . Be willing to adapt to last-minute changes and quickly work on change requests at any time, with minimal delay.
• Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale . Agile embraces sprints with a fast turnaround of workable products.
• Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project . Regular communication and interaction, as well as a constant feedback loop, is crucial.
• Build projects around motivated individuals . A motivated team is key to building successful products.
• The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within the development team is a face-to-face conversation . Face-to-face discussions are great for building trust, establishing close relationships, and enhancing understanding.
• Working software is the primary measure of progress . The focus should be on completed, working software, not hours spent, the time elapsed, or complicated documentation.
• Agile processes promote sustainable development . Maintain a consistent pace for each iterative cycle or sprint. Eliminate the need for overtime or crashing schedules while promoting frequent output of workable products.
• Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility . An Agile focus should be on improving the product and achieving advancements consistently over time while handling changes.
• Simplicity . Avoid or eliminate any additional documentation or work or process that doesn’t add value to the outputs. Focus on completing the requested project.
• The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams . An Agile team should be self-motivated, autonomous, and skilled to take ownership of their work and deliver the best results.
• At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly . The team should continuously advance their skills and processes to continually grow and improve.

No project management methods are perfect. Each of them has its pros and cons. So does Agile methodology.

Agile methodology advantages

• Changes included : Shorter planning cycles mean the team can refine and reprioritize the backlog to accommodate changes throughout the project.
• End-goal can be unknown : Agile can work even when the end-goal isn’t clearly defined at first. As the project proceeds, the goal will become more apparent.
• Faster, high-quality deliverables : By breaking down the project into iterations, the team can focus on high-quality development, testing, and collaboration. More testing helps identify bugs and solve them quickly.
• Strong team interaction : More frequent communication and face-to-face interactions among team members.
• Customers involved : Customers are part of project development. They can see the work being delivered and share feedback.
• Continuous improvement : Constant feedback loop encourages improvement and innovation.

Agile methodology disadvantages

• Planning can be less concrete : It’s possible if some deliverables may not be complete in time. Or, if additional sprints may be added at any time during the project, it’s okay as well.
• Team must be knowledgeable : Agile teams are usually small but highly skilled in a wide range of areas. They must understand the Agile methodology.
• It requires high levels of commitment : The Agile process requires all team members to have active involvement and collaboration.
• Documentation can be ignored : As said earlier, Agile prefers working deliverables over comprehensive documentation. This sometimes causes incorrect interpretation or misunderstanding.

Traditional project management approaches like the Waterfall model are linear, meaning all the phases of a process occur in sequence. The sequence can be like this: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.

In a traditional process, time and requirements are fixed. You handle one big release in the time of six months or so. And, you possibly get user feedback only after the project is launched in the market.

Here is a detailed comparison between Agile and traditional project management:

There are a lot of Agile methodologies out there. Here are just a few of them:

• Disciplined Agile (DA)
• Toyota Production System (TPS)
• eXtreme Programming (XP)

The list goes on.

Is it possible (and even necessary) to learn all of those? Probably not. Most teams simply don’t have the resources, or they don’t need to follow many methods.

So which Agile methodology should you focus on?

The answer to that question is different for every team. In this guide, we won’t cover every Agile methodology. We’re going to run through the Agile methodology types that have worked for us and many other teams.

These are Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming.

Scrum is one of the most popular process frameworks for implementing Agile. It’s excellent for managing complex software and product development.

A Scrum process includes many fixed-length iterations, called sprints. Each sprint can last one or two weeks, allowing the team to ship software regularly. Stakeholders and team members will meet to plan the next steps at the end of each sprint.

Roles in Scrum :

• Product Owner: A Product Owner has the vision of what to build and deliver that to the team. They take charge of setting business and market requirements, prioritizing tasks, managing backlog, providing guidance, and communicating with all stakeholders.
• Scrum Master: A Scrum Master helps the team do their best possible work. They organize meetings, deal with roadblocks and challenges, and work with the Product Owner to ensure the backlog is ready for the next sprint.
• Scrum Team: A Scrum Team can include 5 to 7 members. They aren’t distinct roles like a programmer, a designer, or a tester. Each of them completes the set of work together.

Advantages of Scrum:

• More transparency and project visibility, thanks to daily standup meetings.
• Increased team accountability because there is no project manager. Everyone works and makes decisions together.
• Easy to accommodate changes thanks to short sprints and a constant feedback loop.

Disadvantages of Scrum :

• Risks of “scope creep” due to a lack of a specific end date.
• The team requires experience and commitment.
• The Scrum Master doesn’t have much authority over the team, so it’ll be a big problem if they lack experience.
• Poorly defined tasks can lead to inaccuracies.

The Kanban methodology emphasizes visualization. It paints a picture of the workflow process, so every team member can be aware of the work they need to complete.

Scrum and Kanban share the same goal—helping the team work effectively and promote collaboration.

But there are some significant differences between them, as shown below:

Kanban boards are a tool to implement the Kanban method. Traditionally, a Kanban board is a physical board with magnets, plastic chips, or sticky notes. But now you can easily apply Kanban using a tool or application.

Take the Upbase project management software as an example. It allows you to make online Kanban boards, create as many columns as you want—‘to do,’ ‘in progress,’ ‘done,’ ‘testing,’ ‘approval,’ whatever—or customize them with colors to represent different details.

Click here to get free, unlimited access to Upbase’s premium features .

And if you like the tool, don’t hesitate to grasp this chance:

Advantages of Kanban :

• Increase flexibility: There are no set phase durations.
• Reduce waste: It ensures the team doesn’t spend time doing work that isn’t needed.
• Easy to understand: The visual nature of Kanban makes it intuitive and easy to learn.
• Improve delivery flow: Kanban focuses on just-in-time value delivery.
• Minimize cycle time: Kanban helps reduce the amount of time it takes for work to move through the team’s workflow.

Disadvantages of Kanban :

• Outdated boards can lead to issues: The team needs to update boards. Otherwise, the boards can include inaccurate information.
• Teams can overcomplicate boards: The team needs to keep all boards clear and easy to follow.
• Lack of timing: Columns in a Kanban board are marked by phase, with no time frames associated.

Extreme Programming

Extreme Programming embraces project management best practices while maintaining extreme quality and extreme responsiveness to changing customer requirements.

Extreme Programming has 5 values. Here they are:

• Communication : Participants communicate with each other using whiteboards and face-to-face discussion.
• Simplicity : Do only necessary things and ensure everyone can understand requirements without trying to guess.
• Feedback : Provide feedback so the team can know where to improve and optimize their practices.
• Courage : Carry out actions that aren’t harmful to the team. This will reduce all organizational issues.
• Respects : All members show respect to each other and offer feedback that honors relationships.

Like Scrum and Kanban, Extreme Programming has its pros and cons.

Advantages of Extreme Programming :

• Save costs and time: Extreme Programming focuses on the timely delivery of final products. The team solves problems through discussion, so they don’t use too much documentation.
• Simplicity: Developers create extremely simple codes that can be improved easily at any moment.
• Visible and accountable process: Developers commit what they’ll accomplish and show progress.
• Constant feedback: All team members are willing to listen and make any changes needed in time.
• Faster production: Extreme Programming allows developers to produce the software faster thanks to regular testing at the development stage.

Disadvantages of Extreme Programming :

• Lack of focus on design: Extreme Programming is more focused on code than the design—which is essential for software applications.
• Don’t measure code quality assurance: This can lead to defects in the initial code.

The Internet is full of misconceptions around Agile methodology. We’ll take some and clear them up with an explanation.

1. Agile equals Scrum

Busting the myth: Agile and Scrum aren’t the same things .

As explained above, Scrum is just one of the many Agile methodologies.

2. Agile is anti-documentation

Busting the myth: Agile isn’t anti-documentation .

Let’s look at one of the Agile Manifesto values: “Working software over comprehensive documentation.”

Some people rely on this value to state that Agile doesn’t favor documentation. But it’s more accurate to say Agile prefers face-to-face communication than using written words.

Agile doesn’t urge a team to do documentation only for the sake of having it. It focuses on delivering a working product to customers rather than creating detailed (and complicated) documentation upfront.

3. Agile means no planning

Busting the myth: Agile isn’t anti-planning .

In the Agile process, planning is often less visible. It’s because the Agile team pursues planning as a series of smaller, recurring activities. They also adjust tasks if any change occurs during the execution phase.

4. Work must fit in a sprint

Busting the myth: Work doesn’t have to match a sprint .

From busting myth #1, we already know that Agile doesn’t equal Scrum. That means your Agile team doesn’t have to fit work into sprints.

Let’s say you apply the Kanban method. As shown early in this guide, Kanban doesn’t require “sprinting.”

5. Team members get to do whatever they like

Busting the myth: Agile needs well-disciplined teams . That means team members don’t get to do whatever they like.

Let’s go back to the nature of Agile. It’s all about a collaborative and iterative process. It involves adaptation based on discussions among the team.

That means all team members should be ready to help each other at any time. Each of them should collaborate and support each other. They should be open to acquiring new knowledge to contribute to the team’s performance.

You can achieve this by having a well-disciplined team, not through anarchy.

6. Agile doesn’t work for projects with deadlines

Busting the myth: An Agile project can have a deadline .

In an Agile environment, you don’t have to put deadlines on every task related to a given project. But you can set a deadline for the whole project.

Think this way: After all, your clients need to know when a project will be completed. They just don’t need to know the exact due date for each incremental task.

7. Agile works only within small teams

Busting the myth: Agile can work for a large organization too .

It’s true to say Agile works best when implemented in a small team. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t work for larger teams.

If you’re running a large organization and want to apply Agile, you can start small and then scale the implementation within your organization.

It can be tough to switch from Google Drive to OneDrive in one batch. But you can do that by breaking down the task into smaller chunks.

The same rule applies when you decide to implement Agile on all levels. You can’t do it at once, but you can make it happen step by step.

8. Agile is the sure-fire way to success

Busting the myth: Implementing Agile doesn’t mean you’ll succeed .

No matter which project management approach you use, you can fail if you apply the wrong way.

People resist changes. Problems with culture fit. Lack of team ownership. These are significant obstacles to your team’s success.

9. Agile equals software development

Busting the myth: Agile isn’t only for software development .

Agile can be applied successfully in any business environment. Agile Marketing, Agile Sales—these are real-life examples of using Agile in any area.

10. Agile requires each team member to be a generalist

Busting the myth: Every team member doesn’t have to know how to do everything .

It’s unrealistic to expect a person to be proficient in all skills. That’s not Agile’s principle.

Agile values individuals who possess skills in multiple areas or those who can adapt and develop different skills.

As a software developer, you can understand design or know how to solve support tickets. But you’re not asked to do so.

Having additional skills gives you more values, as your team can count on you if they need extra help.

11. Leaders have no role in Agile

Busting the myth: Leaders do have a role in Agile .

The difference is it’s not the same level of management as traditional managers have.

In an Agile team, a leader can be responsible for setting objectives, organizing work, motivating and communicating, measuring, and developing people.

Every software team has a process they use to complete work. At Upbase, we take an iterative approach to workflow management because it helps us meet our goal faster and exemplifies our team culture.

We’ve created our Agile workflow and applied it successfully. Follow our four steps if you want to start an Agile workflow for your team.

Step 1. Forming

First things first…

Make sure all members of your team understand Agile values and principles. Doing that helps your team adopt the right Agile practices.

Keep in mind the following:

• Implement and explain the Agile specialty roles to your team.
• Run Agile events like daily standups, sprint planning, and sprint retrospectives.
• Provide specific answers to any questions. If there is any doubt, try to solve it immediately.

Once all of your team members are one the same page, you can be sure your workflow will go smoothly.

Step 2: Storming

In this step, you develop your product backlog and divide it into sprints.

When doing that, involve all team members as they’ll be the ones executing the sprints. Explain to them what they need to accomplish if necessary.

Share each pain point with your team. In doing so, remember each member will have their own opinion. They may have slightly different values based on their experience, project, technology stack, and method in which they like to work.

Once you’re done with that, you can ensure your sprints are realistic, and everyone understands their responsibilities. Besides, it helps enhance your team collaboration and strengthen relationships.

Step 3: Norming

It’s time to define team roles.

For a Scrum Agile project, you’ll have to select a Product Owner and a Scrum Master.

If you apply another Agile methodology like Kanban, you may not need to assign these roles.

The key is to create a team that’s right for the Agile methodology you’re using.

Step 4: Performing

When your Agile team starts working, you should track performance to ensure they follow Agile values and principles.

You can apply these practices:

• Organize daily standups to keep a check on any movement or development.
• When your team starts working on their sprint’s backlog items, let the Product Owner pitch it to your customers. The goal is to collect customer feedback.
• When your team finishes adjusting the project based on customer feedback, undertake a sprint review before moving on to the next sprint.

Conduct this process over and over again until your project has been completed.

Here are some tactics you can use to make your Agile workflow more effective:

1. Simplify the work process

The sooner you create and implement a workflow for your team, the better.

Also, when doing that, simplicity is the key. Don’t create a 10-step workflow while you can keep it 5. Overcomplicating can make everyone confused and create resistance to change, which leads to low productivity.

A typical workflow can include 5 statuses: “To do,” “In Progress,” “Review,” and “Done.” But depending on the type of project, you may want to add other workflow statuses like “Editing,” “Design,” “Promoting,” or “Published.”

2. Choose the right tool

It’s one thing to understand how you can implement Agile; it’s another thing to choose the right tool that can help you make it work for your team.

But with about 250 project management tools out there, choice can be hard.

To make your life easier, here are two critical criteria you can use to filter the noise and pick up your perfect tool:

1. Choose an all-in-one Agile project management tool.

Having to switch between many apps leads to app fatigue and kills productivity. Your team is tired of apps—they need a more efficient way to work.

That’s where an all-in-one tool comes in. It includes multiple features in one place and provides solutions to many use cases. It’s a perfect choice to improve productivity.

Need proof? 67% of knowledge workers said that it would make their lives easier and better if they could complete tasks from one place.

2. Ensure your chosen tool is simple and easy to use.

So your team can quickly know how to work with it from the get-go.

Managing a project is hard, don’t make it harder. You can’t accomplish a project in 10 days while you have to spend half of that time learning how to use the software.

Go with a tool that helps you focus on the essentials, not the one making more work for you.

Take Upbase as an example.

Upbase is an all-in-one project management tool for both individuals and teams. You can use it to manage tasks, track project progress, share documents, to name but a few.

That means using Upbase only, you don’t need to switch between many apps anymore.

And the best part? It’s dead simple to use!

3. Optimize your workflow

It’s time to make your workflow more efficient, based on what you observed from the first project. Here are some ideas you can try:

1. Identify which steps you should remove/add/change in the workflow.

For each step, ask these questions:

• Was it an obstacle that prevented your team from getting work done faster?
• Was it too big? Do you need to break it down into smaller steps?
• Should you remove it or combine it with another step to simplify the process?

2. Create a set of metrics to measure workflow efficiency

Your team members should know the results of applying the Agile workflow. By telling them this data, you can encourage them to continue to follow the process.

Consider these questions to measure the efficiency of your workflow:

• How many steps were in the process?
• How many tasks were completed?
• How long did it take to finish the whole project or a task or a step on average?
• Which task that took the longest time to complete? And which one was the quickest?
• Was the workflow easy enough to onboard new team members?

A well-designed workflow leads to increased productivity, team engagement, transparency, commitment, and trust.

Thousands of books on Agile have been published over the last few years. If you search for ‘Agile’ on Amazon.com, you’ll get about 7,000 results .

That makes it hard to choose the right book to learn about Agile methodology.

To make your life easier, we introduce the best 5 Agile books that our team reads and learn along the way.

1. “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries

“The Lean Startup” is an ideal book choice if you just start your way to implementing Agile. You don’t need to have any background knowledge or experience to understand concepts in the book.

This book teaches you how to identify the target market and build a business around your potential customers’ demand.

Besides, the author gives you clear explanations of how you can use the Lean methodology. It’s easy to understand and apply techniques in real life.

2. “Agile Project Management QuickStart Guide: A Simplified Beginners Guide To Agile Project Management” by Ed Stark

The book gives you a great overview of Agile methodology, ways to use it, how to choose the best framework for your project, and more.

It also offers free lifetime access to tutorials, checklists, and cheat sheets to help you plan and execute your first Agile project.

3. “The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products” by Dan Olsen

Whether you’re running a new startup or an established business, this book will benefit you in many ways.

It emphasizes the importance of defining your target market’s needs to ensure your final products meet your potential customers’ expectations.

4. Scrum: a Breathtakingly Brief and Agile Introduction

The book introduces everything about Scrum to you. It’s useful for those who are brand new to Agile and Scrum.

5. “Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time” by Chris Sims and Hillary Louise Johnson

Written by one of Scrum’s founders, this book is gold. You’ll learn why Scrum is beneficial, how to embrace the framework, and how to apply it to your team.

The book also goes deeper into Scrum than other books for beginners. Hence, it’s more suitable for those who already have a foundation on Agile or Scrum.

Go for Agile!

Now that you’ve understood a lot about Agile methodology.

Agile is meant to improve your work, not complicate anything. It can apply to many different businesses, and it can help you build an effective team.

Use Upbase today to implement the Agile methodology in your team, and let us know if Agile works in your organization. We bet you’ll enjoy it.

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What is scrum?

Scrum is a lightweight agile framework designed to help teams collaborate on complex products iteratively and incrementally to deliver high value. It is built on the principles of empiricism and lean thinking.

How it works

Scrum values, empiricism and iteration.

• Explore certifications

What is the scrum framework?

Scrum is a lightweight yet incredibly powerful framework. Scrum relies on cross-functional and self-managing teams to deliver products and services in short cycles, enabling:

• Fast feedback
• Quicker innovation
• Continuous improvement
• Rapid adaptation to change
• Delighted customers
• Reduced time from idea to delivery

The term scrum comes from a 1986 Harvard Business Review article ( The New New Product Development Game ) in which authors Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka made an analogy comparing high-performing, cross-functional teams to the scrummage used by rugby teams. Ken Scwaber and Jeff Sutherland first introduced scrum as a framework at the Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages & Applications (OOPSLA) conference in 1995 in Austin, Texas.

Though it has its roots in software development, today scrum is used in almost every industry so that teams can solve complex problems and deliver innovative products and services that truly delight customers.

Scrum essentials in under 10 minutes

Scrum is the most widely used and popular agile framework. The term "Agile" describes a specific set of foundational principles and values for organizing and managing complex work based on the Agile Manifesto . The creators of the manifesto also considered the words "lightweight" and "adaptive," and eventually all agreed that "agile" was the most effective term for their purposes. The Agile Manifesto was published on February 11, 2001.

Scrum embodies agile principles by enabling teams to adapt quickly to changes (in market requirements, conditions, new regulations, etc.), prioritize customer feedback, and deliver work in manageable increments. Scrum is considered agile because of the agile principles and values it supports:

The Agile Manifesto explains how its creators came to value:

"Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more."

Scrum benefits

Practicing scrum offers several advantages, including:

• Minimized risk
• Enhanced ability to manage changing priorities 
• Ability to uncover bottlenecks in teams and organizations that get in the way of value delivery
• Increased transparency for stakeholders by delivering working product increments frequently
• Opportunities to inspect and adapt, thereby making course corrections based on what is learned

This framework incorporates inspection and adaptation at regular intervals, helping teams to continuously improve their interactions, reduce time to market, and increase customer satisfaction through regular feedback loops. Moreover, scrum's emphasis on transparency and collaboration fosters a more engaged and motivated team environment, which can lead to higher productivity and better outcomes.

Scrum teams inspect each increment of functionality as it is completed and then adapt what will be done next based on learning and feedback, minimizing risk, and reducing waste. This cycle repeats and continuously gives the stakeholders, business, and the scrum team the opportunity to adjust to changing market conditions, competition, and other reasons for pivoting.

Scrum's effectiveness lies in its simplicity and flexibility, described later in this page. While it is possible to practice scrum without embodying the scrum values and empiricism (i.e. mechanical scrum), the true benefits of adopting scrum can only be achieved when the scrum team and the organization embody the scrum values and empiricism. Along with organizational and culture shifts catalyzed by adopting those values, the framework has practices based on three core components: Scrum consists of: 

• Accountabilities
• Events 

These core components, along with a few simple rules, work together to create a cycle of continuous improvement and adaptation, ensuring that the teams and the organizations can respond swiftly to changes and deliver high-value products effectively.

Scrum accountabilities

Scrum has three accountabilities (previously called "roles") ensuring that every aspect of the shared work is managed effectively.

• Developers: Professionals in the scrum team who work together to create any aspect of the product. They create the product increment(s) during the sprint. People with any skill needed to build the product take on the accountability of a developer. Depending on the nature of the product, the skills will be different. 
• Product  owner : The product owner develops and communicates the product goal, owns the product backlog, and ensures the team is always addressing the highest value work. They also balance the needs of stakeholders, customers, and the team. They know and understand the domain, the market for their products, and they are passionate about delivering results that customers and users want and need.
• Scrum  master : The scrum master leads and guides the organization in its scrum adoption and practice. The scrum master helps the team build the product and become the best team they can be by guiding them to use scrum and embody agile principles. They coach the team toward effective use of the events and artifacts. Their day may include helping the team manage impediments, and they are often essential to the growth of the team as a whole as well as individuals. 

There are also many ways scrum masters serve the organization, including coaching the organization and stakeholders in scrum adoption and empiricism.

The scrum team is made up of these accountabilities. A team has one scrum master, one product owner , and the developers. The size of a scrum team is usually fewer than 10 people. The team is self-managing and cross-functional. Many responsibilities of a traditional project manager are divided between the accountabilities while other project management responsibilities may become unnecessary.

Scrum events

There are five events in the scrum framework. These events are valuable opportunities to inspect and adapt the product or the way the team works together (and sometimes both).

• The sprint : The core of scrum, a timeboxed period (less than one month long and frequently 1-2 weeks) during which one or more increments are created. The sprint contains all of the other events.
• Sprint planning : The entire scrum team establishes the sprint goal. The developers forecast what work they believe they can accomplish during the sprint to support the goal, and how the chosen work will be completed. Planning should be timeboxed to a maximum of 8 hours for a month-long sprint, with a shorter timebox for shorter sprints. Based on the sprint goal and the forecast, an initial plan is also created. The scrum team may invite other people to sprint planning to provide advice or input on relevant work.
• Daily scrum : During daily scrum, the developers inspect the progress toward the sprint goal and adapt plans as necessary. It's a brief daily event led by the developers to inspect and adapt. It is timeboxed to 15 minutes. Daily scrum is not the team's only opportunity to adapt their plans; they often communicate about needed pivots outside of this event. In daily scrum, the team may synchronize their daily work, identify blockers, and discuss collaboration that needs to take place. Daily scrum helps the team understand if their latest plans will get them closer to achieving the sprint goal and they pivot if needed. 
• Sprint review : The entire scrum team inspects the sprint's outcome with stakeholders and determines future adaptations. Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on what that scrum team has achieved so far and on the future direction of product development. The product backlog is adapted based on these conversations.
• Sprint retrospective : The conclusion of the sprint, the retrospective is the team's opportunity to inspect their own interactions, collaborations, processes, tools, and any other factors they deem relevant to their ability to continuously improve.

Product backlog refinement

Refinement is a continuous activity used to prepare product backlog items for the upcoming sprint plannings. Teams may adjust details such as description, order, and size. It is not a scrum event. Some teams prefer a recurring meeting, usually done once or twice per sprint. Other teams prefer to refine backlog items as needed. 

While the product owner is ultimately accountable for the state and the content of the product backlog, they can delegate product backlog management to others (but cannot delegate the accountability). The buck stops with the product owner.

Scrum artifacts

Scrum artifacts enable transparency, inspection, and adaptation. They provide visibility into the work being completed so that anyone—the team, stakeholders, managers, etc.—can inspect the results and identify areas where an adaptation may benefit the product.

• Product backlog : An ordered or ranked list of everything that might be needed to improve the product, along with the product goal. The product goal is the commitment to the product backlog and is part of the product backlog.
• Sprint backlog : It consists of the sprint goal plus the set of product backlog items the product owner and developers have forecasted they can complete during the current sprint (they may not finish them all), plus a plan for delivering the increment and achieving the sprint goal. The sprint goal is the commitment for the sprint backlog and does not change during the sprint (while the “scope of work” may actually change). As the plan changes (during the sprint or during daily scrum) those changes are reflected on the sprint backlog. 
• Increment: When a product backlog Item is completed (as per the quality attributes defined for the product - captured usually in the Definition of Done) in such a way that it delivers value and is usable, it becomes an "Increment." Each increment is additive because it does not break what has been previously completed and will continue to work indefinitely into the future when new PBIs are completed. The commitment to the increment is the definition of done.

Scrum artifact commitments

In the scrum framework, each artifact is accompanied by a specific commitment that ensures the work focuses on delivering quality and value. 

• Definition of Done for the increments : The Definition of Done establishes the quality measures for the product that the product backlog items must meet to be considered complete. Once a product backlog item meets the definition of done, it becomes an increment. 
• Sprint goal for the sprint backlog: A specific and singular goal for the sprint that clarifies the sprint's purpose. The sprint goal is the commitment to the sprint backlog. This goal helps everyone focus on the essence of what needs to be done and why. The sprint goal must allow the developers to be flexible about the exact "scope" of work that is done. The sprint goal brings cohesion to the work done during the sprint. 
• Product goal for the product backlog : A clear understanding of the product's overarching objective is essential for teams to effectively organize the work.The product may have multiple product goals over its lifetime, but only one at a time.

How it all works together

Scrum accountabilities, artifacts, and events work together within the sprint. The product owner defines the direction of product development with a product goal using information from stakeholders and users. They identify and define pieces of value that can be delivered to move closer toward the product goal.

The product owner ensures that the product backlog is ordered so that the team knows what is most important. The developers can help the product owner further refine what needs to be done, and the product owner may rely on the developers to make trade-off decisions. This is where refinement becomes an important practice for the scrum team.

Getting started

While the framework defines the bare essentials, here are some considerations to get started:

• Define the "product" and the "boundary" of the product
• Form new scrum teams
• Define product goal and a few product backlog items 
• Create a definition of done

During sprint planning, the scrum team collaborates to create the sprint goal. Based on the sprint goal, the developers pull work (usually from the top) of the product backlog and decide how they will complete it. The team has a set time frame, the sprint, to achieve the sprint goal. They meet at the daily scrum to inspect progress towards the sprint goal and plan for the upcoming day. Along the way, the scrum master keeps the team focused on the sprint goal and can help the team improve as a whole. 

Wrapping up the sprint

The scrum team shares its sprint results with stakeholders in sprint review. They may adapt the product backlog as part of that review and in sprint planning. 

The team has a sprint retrospective to discuss what went well and what didn't go well during the sprint. They may discuss collaborations, tools, communication, and practices that supported or hindered their ability to achieve their sprint goal. They develop action items based on what they discussed in order to improve future sprints.

In sprint planning, the team chooses the product backlog items for the next sprint and the cycle repeats. 

Transitioning to an agile framework such as scrum requires a new mindset and overall cultural adjustments. And, like all change, it doesn't come easy. But when teams and organizations fully commit to scrum, they'll discover a new sense of flexibility, creativity, and inspiration—all of which will lead to greater results.

The scrum value of commitment is essential for building an agile culture. Scrum teams work together to support each other in their pursuit of the product goal and sprint goals. This means that scrum teams trust each other to follow through on what they say they are going to do. When team members aren’t sure how work is going, they ask. Scrum teams only agree to take on tasks they believe they can complete, so they are careful not to overcommit.

Courage 

The scrum value of courage is critical to a scrum team’s success. Scrum teams must feel safe enough to say no, ask for help, and try new things. Agile teams must be brave enough to question the status quo when it hampers their ability to succeed.

Focus 

Every member of the scrum team focuses on the work at hand to support the sprint goal.

Openness 

Scrum teams consistently seek out new ideas and opportunities to learn. Scrum teams are also honest when they need help and open with their team and stakeholders about the challenges they face.

Scrum team members demonstrate respect to one another, to the product owner, to stakeholders, and to the scrum master. Scrum teams know that their strength lies in how well they collaborate and that everyone has a distinct contribution to make toward completing the work of the sprint. They respect each other's ideas, give each other permission to have a bad day once in a while, and recognize each other's accomplishments.

Scrum operates on core elements that make it exceptionally suited for handling complex, evolving projects. This framework facilitates a balance between structure and adaptability, enabling teams to efficiently tackle changing demands and deliver quality outcomes. Through its elements, scrum provides a lightweight set of enabling constraints for teams to follow as they work through uncertainties and aim for continuous improvement in their work.

The three pillars of empirical process control

Scrum is based on the theory of empirical process control, which relies on transparency, inspection, and adaptation.

Transparency

Effective decision-making requires transparency of the process and of the product's progress and a shared language among participants to ensure everyone understands what they're seeing. 

The five scrum events provide appropriate opportunities for transparency, inspection, and adaptation.

Regular inspections of ongoing work are essential for maintaining the intended process and achieving the desired outcome. Integrating these inspections seamlessly into the workflow prevents any disruption. 

Sprint review and sprint planning offer an opportunity to inspect progress toward the product goal, and retrospectives offer opportunities for the team to inspect their teamwork, collaborations, and processes. This process promotes continuous improvement while ensuring progress continues unhindered.

Adaptation involves making timely adjustments to the process or product whenever deviations arise. Scrum teams have the flexibility to adapt the product backlog, product, and their future plans every sprint. This ensures that any necessary changes can be implemented as rapidly as the balance of demands and capacity allows.

Iterative and incremental product management

Scrum combines iterative and incremental approaches.

Iterative 

In an iterative process, teams repeatedly cycle through rounds of delivery to arrive at a desired outcome. Each iteration brings the team closer to its goal, allowing for adjustments based on learning and feedback. This cycle of iterative improvement is a key characteristic of scrum, allowing teams to systematically make progress with each iteration.

Incremental

Incremental refers to a series of small improvements to an existing product or product line that usually helps maintain or improve its competitive position over time. Incremental innovation is regularly used within the high-technology business by companies that need to continue to improve their products to include new features increasingly desired by consumers. The way scrum teams deliver pieces of functionality into small batches is incremental.

Explore scrum certifications

Scrum Alliance certification courses offer in-depth training by leaders in agile and scrum. Choose from courses that focus on a specific scrum team accountability or an agile skill. Foundational role-based courses like the Certified ScrumMaster and all of the skill-based courses have widely applicable training that you can implement right away, no matter your role.

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Agile templates are predefined frameworks that assist agile teams in implementing and managing agile methodologies . These templates provide a standardized approach to planning, tracking, and executing agile processes. Agile templates provide structure, consistency, and efficiency in various aspects of project management. They contribute to improved communication, collaboration, and transparency.  This guide will define agile project management , discuss the benefits of using agile templates, and highlight the best project management templates for your organization.

What is agile project management?

Agile project management is an iterative approach software development teams use to enable continuous improvement throughout the project life cycle . By breaking down a project into incremental, more manageable phases called sprints , adaptability and speed increase.

Agile project management has twelve core principles, summarized by four agile values:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive project documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change by following a plan

Agile teams obtain total customer satisfaction by frequently delivering high-quality, working software. This requires the collaboration of all stakeholders—the customer, the development team, and the project manager.

Benefits of using agile templates

Agile project management templates offer several benefits.

Templates provide standardized documentation, which makes it easier for team members to understand and follow processes across different projects.

Agile templates also streamline projects with a predefined structure for everyday tasks. This allows teams to focus on delivering value instead of administrative tasks.

An agile template has structure along with flexibility. This flexibility allows teams to customize the template to each project's specific needs, making it easier to adapt to changing requirements or methodologies.

Agile templates include space to reflect on lessons learned, which fosters a culture of continuous improvement. With each iteration, teams can identify areas for improvement and implement changes.

10 best agile templates for project management

Workflow automation software can significantly enhance efficiency and collaboration. Agile templates can remove manual, repetitive tasks while minimizing human error. Optimized Agile workflows help streamline business processes to improve productivity.

With Jira Software , the #1 agile project management tool, teams can confidently plan, track, release, and support their software. Despite the project's complexity, Jira Software helps teams move fast, stay aligned, and build better. 

With templates from Jira Service Management, you can quickly receive, track, manage, and resolve customer requests, ensuring you continue to deliver high-quality service and support.

Best for task tracking: Kanban board template

A Kanban board template is a predefined framework that helps teams set up their work using the Kanban methodology. This approach focuses on visualizing work, limiting work in progress , and maximizing flow. Kanban boards visually represent work items as they move through various project stages.

Best for project timelines: Gantt chart template

A Gantt chart template is a framework used to create Gantt charts, a project management tool that visually represents project schedules, tasks, and timelines. Gantt charts provide a timeline view of a project, breaking it down into tasks, milestones, and dependencies. Teams use these charts for planning, tracking progress, and communicating project schedules to team members and stakeholders.

Best for task prioritization: Product backlog template

Task prioritization is a crucial aspect of product development . A product backlog template helps product managers and teams organize, prioritize, and manage the feature lists, enhancements, and tasks that need attention.

Best for strategic product planning: Product strategy template

A product strategy template is a comprehensive guide for strategic product planning. It provides a structured framework for decision-making, alignment, and communication. It helps teams articulate and execute a well-defined strategy, leading to more successful product development.

Best for coordinating teams: Product development template

A product development template enhances team visibility and coordination by providing a standardized structure and promoting clear communication. It simplifies the product development process with straightforward, replicable steps to ensure consistency among cross-functional teams.

Best for streamlined collaboration: Agile project plan template

An agile project plan template is a collaborative tool that fosters transparency, alignment, and effective communication within agile teams. It provides a structured framework for planning, tracking, and adapting to change, contributing to the successful execution of agile projects.

Best for visualizing project goals: Agile roadmap template

An agile roadmap template helps visualize project goals by providing a clear, high-level overview of the project's strategic direction, milestones, and planned releases. It enhances communication, aligns stakeholders, and supports effective planning and execution in dynamic project environments.

Best for product planning: Product breakdown structure template

A product breakdown structure template provides a structured and visual approach to breaking a product into manageable components. It supports detailed planning, resource allocation, and risk management for more efficient product organization.

Best for streamlining processes: Workflow template

A workflow template contributes to streamlined processes by providing a visual, standardized, and comprehensive representation of the steps, tasks, and roles involved in a business process. It supports clarity, efficiency, and continuous improvement, contributing to workflow optimization.

Best for sprint management: Sprint backlog template

A sprint backlog template helps plan and manage tasks during a sprint . It helps teams organize, prioritize, and track the progress of work items.

Use agile templates in Jira Software

Various templates may suit each unique project management need. No matter what your needs are, there's a Jira template that can enhance your project management efficiency. 

Choose from dozens of Jira Software's pre-made agile templates to start your project quickly. Jira templates can streamline processes, configure workflows, save time, and add consistency across projects to improve the effectiveness of your project management.

Use Jira Software’s issues feature to break down large bodies of work into smaller, more manageable pieces. As these issues move through your workflow, you can move them across your board to visualize your team’s progress. In addition, you can create Confluence pages directly from Jira Software to stay organized and keep track of all project information in a repository. Get Jira Software Free

Agile templates: Frequently asked questions

Are there best practices for using agile templates.

Following best practices when using agile templates ensures effective collaboration, communication, and project management. This includes understanding agile principles, tailoring templates to your team, and keeping it simple. The key to effectively using an agile template is remaining flexible and continuously improving based on feedback and changing project dynamics.

How do agile templates support continuous improvement?

Agile templates support continuous improvement by providing a structured way to capture feedback from various team members and stakeholders. Dedicated retrospective meetings can assess what went well, what went wrong, and areas for improvement. They also provide metrics and KPIs related to the project to provide insights into performance.

Can a team customize agile templates for different projects?

You can customize each template based on the specific requirements, workflows, team dynamics, development methodologies, tools, software, or other unique aspects of the project. This enhances the likelihood of achieving project success.

Scrum Sprints: Everything You Need to Know

A sprint is a short, time boxed period when a scrum team works to complete a set amount of work. Read on to learn how to plan and execute scrum sprints.

What is a Kanban Board?

A kanban board is a physical or digital project management tool designed to help visualize work, limit work-in-progress, and maximize efficiency(or flow).

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28 Agile Templates to Streamline Your Agile Projects and Processes

Agile methods promise better project management, but they can feel overwhelming. That’s where Agile templates come in. They are invaluable tools for organizing, planning, and executing projects. In this post, we’ll share agile templates and explain how they can transform your project approach. Whether you’re new to Agile or a pro, these templates will help you make your projects smoother and more successful.

What are Agile Templates

Agile templates are ready-made formats that help teams organize their work when using Agile methods. They provide a clear structure for tasks, timelines, and goals, making it easier for everyone to understand what needs to be done and when. These templates can include things like to-do lists, charts to track progress, and formats for discussing what went well and what needs improvement. Basically, they’re tools that make Agile project management simpler and more organized.

Agile Templates for Agile Projects and Processes

Here are Agile templates commonly used by Agile teams. Depending on the project’s needs and the specific Agile methodology being followed, teams can use additional templates or customize existing ones to suit their requirements.

1. Agile Board Template

An agile board template is a visual tool used to track and manage work items throughout an Agile project. It typically represents the workflow of the project, divided into columns that represent different stages of the work process. It helps teams prioritize work, visualize progress, and identify potential issues early on. And it promotes transparency and collaboration by providing a shared understanding of the work being done.

• Ready to use
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2. Kanban Board Template

A Kanban board is a digital or physical board with columns representing stages of work (like “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done”). Tasks are written on cards and moved across the board as they progress. You can use it when you want a visual way to track tasks and workflow progress, especially in continuous work environments.

3. Design Sprint Template

Design sprint template is a structured plan for a short, intensive process (usually a few days) to solve complex problems, generate ideas, and test solutions quickly. You can use it when you need to innovate or solve a big problem in a short time, bringing together different team members' expertise.

4. Sprint Planning Template

The sprint planning template is a format for planning what work will be done in a short period (a sprint, usually 2-4 weeks) in Agile projects like Scrum. It involves selecting tasks from a backlog and estimating effort. Use it at the start of each sprint to make sure everyone knows what they’ll be working on and to set clear goals for the sprint.

5. Retrospective Template

Retrospective meeting template is a structured way to reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and how to improve at the end of a project iteration or sprint. You can use it after completing a project phase or sprint to learn from past experiences and make adjustments for the future.

6. Gantt Chart Template

Gantt chart is a bar chart that shows tasks, their start and end dates, and dependencies between tasks, providing a visual timeline of a project. Use it when you need to plan and track project timelines, especially for projects with many tasks and dependencies. It helps you see what needs to be done and when.

7. SAFe Roam Board

The SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) roam board is a visual management tool used in Agile environments, particularly within organizations that follow the SAFe methodology. The SAFe roam board facilitates Agile practices such as visual management, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement, helping teams deliver value to customers more effectively and efficiently within the context of the SAFe framework.

8. Feature Planning Template

A feature planning template helps teams prioritize and plan features or functionalities for a product or project. You can use this template during the product planning phase to outline and prioritize features based on customer needs, business goals, and technical feasibility.

9. Product Backlog Template

A product backlog template is a structured format used in Agile methodologies, particularly in Scrum, to manage and prioritize the list of features, enhancements, and requirements for a product. Use it to ensure visibility into upcoming work, facilitate collaboration between stakeholders, and help the team adapt to changing priorities and market needs.

10. Work Plan Template

A work plan template outlines tasks, activities, and timelines for a project or initiative. Use this template during the project planning phase to establish expectations, allocate resources effectively, and track progress towards project goals.

11. Product Strategy Template

A product strategy template defines the vision, goals, and high-level plan for a product or product line. Use this template to align stakeholders and teams around the long-term direction and priorities for the product, providing clarity on market opportunity and strategic initiatives.

12. SIPOC Template

A SIPOC diagram (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) template is a visual tool used to define and understand the elements involved in a process. Use this template when analyzing or improving processes to identify key elements and stakeholders involved, ensuring a clear understanding of process flow and requirements.

13. Product Development Template

A product development template outlines the stages, activities, and deliverables involved in developing a product from conception to launch. Use this template to guide and track the development process, making sure that all necessary steps are completed and stakeholders are aligned throughout the product life cycle.

14. RAID Log Template

A RAID log is a document used to track and manage risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies throughout a project. Use it from the beginning of the project to identify and document potential risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies. Continuously update and monitor the log throughout the project lifecycle to mitigate risks and address issues promptly.

15. Agile Project Plan Template

An agile project plan template outlines the key components and timelines of an Agile project, including sprints, deliverables, milestones, and dependencies. You can use it during the project planning phase to define the project scope, schedule, and resources. It helps teams establish a clear roadmap for executing the project iteratively and adaptively using Agile methodologies.

16. Lean Canvas Template

A lean canvas template is a one-page visual tool used to quickly capture and communicate the key aspects of a business model, including customer segments, value proposition, channels, revenue streams, and cost structure. Use this template when developing a new product or business idea to clarify the problem you’re solving, understand your target customers, and define the value proposition. It’s particularly useful for startups and entrepreneurs looking to iterate on their business model rapidly.

17. Value Chain Analysis Template

A value chain model template is a framework used to analyze the activities and processes within an organization to identify opportunities for improving efficiency and creating value. Use it when evaluating a company’s competitive advantage, understanding cost drivers, or identifying areas for innovation and optimization.

18. Lean Coffee Template

A lean coffee template is a structured format for conducting collaborative and productive meetings, inspired by the Lean Coffee framework. Use it for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, or problem-solving discussions. It encourages participation, engagement, and prioritization of topics by allowing participants to suggest and vote on discussion topics.

19. Agile Roadmap Template

An agile roadmap template is a visual representation of the strategic direction and planned initiatives for a product or project, typically organized by timeframe and key milestones. You can use it to communicate the product vision, strategic goals, and planned features or releases to stakeholders. It helps align the team and stakeholders on the priorities and direction of the product development efforts.

20. PI Planning Template

A PI planning template is a structured framework used in SAFe to plan and coordinate Agile Release Trains (ARTs) for a specific program increment. It can be used during the PI planning event, which occurs at the beginning of each program increment. It helps align multiple Agile teams on the objectives, priorities, and dependencies for the upcoming increment.

21. Daily Stand-up Meeting Template

A daily stand-up meeting template is a structured format for conducting daily check-in meetings in Agile teams. It typically includes prompts for team members to share updates on what they accomplished yesterday, what they plan to do today, and any obstacles or blockers they’re facing. Use it every day to synchronize team members, identify potential issues early, and ensure alignment on project progress and goals.

22. Product Roadmap Template

A product roadmap template is a visual representation of the strategic direction and planned initiatives for a product over time. It outlines the high-level goals, features, and milestones planned for future releases or iterations. Use it to communicate the product vision, strategy, and planned releases to stakeholders. It helps align the team and stakeholders on the priorities and direction of the product development efforts.

23. Idea Funnel Backlog

An idea funnel backlog is a repository for collecting and organizing ideas, suggestions, and potential features for a product or project. It serves as a backlog of ideas waiting to be evaluated, prioritized, and potentially implemented. You can use it to capture input from stakeholders, customers, and team members.

24. Sprint Backlog Template

A sprint backlog template is a list of tasks, user stories, or features committed to for a specific sprint in Agile methodologies like Scrum. It outlines the work to be completed during the sprint and serves as a plan for the development team. You can use it at the beginning of each sprint to select and prioritize work items from the product backlog. It helps the team focus on delivering a set of agreed-upon features within the sprint timeframe.

25. User Story Map Template

A user story map template is a visual representation of user stories organized horizontally by user workflow or feature and vertically by priority or release. It helps teams understand the user journey and prioritize features based on user needs. Use it during the backlog refinement process to create a shared understanding of the product’s functionality and user requirements.

26. Risk Register Template

A risk register template is a document used to capture, assess, and manage risks throughout a project. It identifies potential risks, assesses their impact and likelihood, and outlines mitigation strategies. You can use it continuously throughout the project lifecycle to identify and mitigate potential threats to project success.

27. Agile Project Charter Template

An Agile project charter template is a document that formally authorizes the initiation of an Agile project. It outlines the project’s objectives, scope, deliverables, stakeholders, and high-level constraints. Use it at the beginning of a project to define the project’s purpose, scope, and objectives. It helps align stakeholders, establish project boundaries, and provide a clear direction for the project team.

28. Agile Transformation Roadmap Template

An Agile transformation roadmap template is a visual guide that outlines the steps and milestones involved in transitioning an organization to Agile practices. It helps organizations visualize their Agile journey, set realistic expectations, and ensure alignment across teams and departments.

Benefits of Agile Templates

Consistency : They help everyone follow the same format for documents and plans, avoiding confusion.

Time-saving : Teams don’t have to start from scratch every time; they can use ready-made templates, saving time.

Clear communication : Templates make it easier to understand tasks and goals, reducing misunderstandings.

Better planning : They help teams plan and track work more effectively, ensuring everyone stays on the same page.

Guidance for best practices : Agile templates often include industry best practices, guiding teams to work efficiently.

Flexibility : While providing structure, Agile templates can also be adapted to fit specific project needs.

Agile templates are essential for streamlining project management, boosting collaboration, and achieving success in Agile environments. They provide structured frameworks that simplify processes, boost efficiency, and keep teams focused on delivering value to customers. By leveraging these Agile templates, teams can work more effectively, adapt to change, and achieve their project goals with confidence.

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.