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IMPROVE YOUR ESTIMATION & PLANNING SKILLS February 2018
 Presented by Brett Harned
 
 [email protected] @brettharned


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FACT None of us manage projects in the same way

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IT’S OKAY

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AGILE? Kanban - Scrum - No Estimates - Sprints - Backlogs WATERFALL? Milestones - Dependencies

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HYBRID? A Little Bit OF This, A Little Bit Of That… AGILE? Kanban - Scrum - No Estimates - Sprints - Backlogs WATERFALL? Milestones - Dependencies

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AGILE • Collaboration • Iteration • Focused • Not driven by deadlines

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WATERFALL • Step-by-step • Silos • Milestone and deadline driven

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HYBRID • Collaboration • Accounts for stakeholders • Iteration • Not driven by deadlines

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CHOOSE
 YOUR OWN
 ADVENTURE Before you pick a process, consider: • Team/talent • Stakeholders/clients • Scope • Deadline

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ESTIMATING & SCOPING

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IT’S NOT EASY

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SO IF IT’S NEVER EXACT, WHY ESTIMATE?

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IS THE PROJECT WORTH IT?

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DO WE HAVE THE STAFF TO DO IT?

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CAN WE GET A SENSE FOR HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE?

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ARE WE EXCITED ABOUT THE PROJECT?

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• Your industry: trends, changes, innovation • Your team and their capabilities • What works/what doesn’t • History on similar projects BUT STILL, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND

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ASK QUESTIONS • What is the goal of the project? • How will you and your client determine if the project is successful? • What returns will you and your clients see as a result of the project? • Who will participate from the client side? • What range of services does the project require?

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AND MORE QUESTIONS • What is your client’s budget for the project? • Is there technology involved? If yes, what is it? • Does your client employ anyone with expertise on the topic? • What is the timeline? • Will your services be required after delivery

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DO WE HAVE THE STAFF FOR IT?

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ESTIMATING TACTICS:
 WATERFALL & HYBRID PROJECTS.

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TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT BEFORE YOU START THROWING OUT NUMBERS

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DISSECT THE PROJECT, ISSUE, OR FEATURE

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DISCUSS GOALS

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DISCUSS TIMELINES + RESOURCES NEEDED

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CONSIDER STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS

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ESTIMATE IN THE OPEN

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NOW START THINKING ABOUT 
 STEPS & TASKS

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WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE A method by which you can visually represent the composition of a project by breaking down all project stages and aspects into their smallest possible components.

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WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/organize-project-work-breakdown-structure/

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2 3 BUY Loan approval - 5 days
 Make an offer - 2 days
 Conduct inspection - 1 day
 Settlement - 1 day
 MOVE Hire movers - 1 day
 Pack boxes - 5 days Get new keys - 1 day Pay movers - 1 day
 MOVE - 2 days 1 Total Time: 16 days SEARCH Decide on neighborhood - 1 day Find Realtor - 1 day
 Look on realtor.com - 2 days
 In-person visits - 12 days Total Time: 9 days Total Time: 10 days WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE: MOVING

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BREAK EVERYTHING DOWN INTO SUB TASKS

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SEEMS EASY, RIGHT? If you get stuck: • Don’t be afraid to ask questions • Get granular • Ask colleagues for opinions • Check project histories • Remember, it’s just an estimate!

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ESTIMATING TACTICS:
 AGILE PROJECTS.

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SPRINTS AND ESTIMATING STORIES? ISN’T AGILE ALL ABOUT…

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IT’S ALL ABOUT SETTING EXPECTATIONS

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FIRST EXPECTATION: AGILE PROJECTS REQUIRE DEDICATED TEAMS

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SECOND EXPECTATION: ALL WORK IS DONE IN TIME-BOXED ITERATIONS

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IN OTHER WORDS How much does it cost for your whole dedicated team to work on only one project for one month?

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WITHOUT THESE EXPECTATIONS IN PLACE, YOU WILL NEVER GET IT RIGHT.

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IT’S NOT EASY

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THINGS TO CONSIDER • What roles do you need? • How much time is “full time”? • Will your team be truly dedicated? • Will there be holidays or time off? • Is there a blended rate for the team?

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FIGURE OUT HOW MANY “SPRINTS” FIT YOUR PROJECT SCHEDULE AND ADD THEM UP. + + + + + + +

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1 RESOURCE, 4 WEEKS = $10K 2 WEEK SPRINTS 1 RESOURCE, 1 SPRINT = $5K 6 MONTHS = 12 SPRINTS 4 RESOURCES, 12 SPRINTS 4 X $5K = $20K X 12

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PROJECT COST= $240,000

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SEEMS TOO EASY, RIGHT?

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IT WILL NEVER BE PERFECT

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BUT, THIS METHOD ALLOWS YOU TO SAY:

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“Our agile release planning session says the website redesign project will take 12 sprints, totaling $240K. Is that estimate in line with what you’ve budgeted?”

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“Sure, Sir Stakeholder, we can add that last-minute request. However, the team says that will take another sprint to complete it as you’ve requested, so the change in project cost will be $20k. Can you authorize the additional budget?”

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“Team, we have to be ruthless about bugs. Any bug that prevents us from going live will cost us $20K in an extra sprint, and you all know our bosses—or our clients—will not be happy about that.”

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“I know we are falling behind, but If we extend the iteration until we feel we are done, I have no way of forecasting the financial impact. However, if we simply extend the project by one extra sprint, I can tell you it will cost exactly $20K.”

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AGAIN, IT WILL NEVER BE PERFECT. BUT HAVING BACKUP HELPS.

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ESTIMATING TASKS ON AGILE PROJECTS.

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USER STORIES As a (ROLE) I want to (DESIRED ACTION) so I can (WHY I WANT TO DO THIS).

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FORGET WEEKS, DAYS, HOURS. USE STORY POINTS

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Fibonacci: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89… Image source: https://www.slideshare.net/AmaadQureshi/introduction-to-agile-estimation-planning

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Planning Poker Image source: https://kenschwaber.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/planning-poker/

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T-shirt Sizing Image source: http://agileupgrade.com/stop-wasting-time-trying-to-get-estimates-right-and-what-to-do-instead/

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REASONS TO USE STORY POINTS • Score just the work, not all the time around it • No emotional connection to dates or time • Allows team members to score at their own ability • There is no time tracking

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GENERAL ESTIMATING RECOS: • Estimate as a team • Develop a shared language • Create a routine (intake questionnaire, scoping sessions, agenda for discussions) • Communicate about expectations around scope and deadline, and use that to create estimates

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https://www.teamgantt.com/guide-to-project-management/how-to-estimate-projects

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PROJECT PLANNING

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PROJECT PLANS ARE A FORM OF COMMUNICATION

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COMMUNICATE IN A WAY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE

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PROJECT PLANNING
 TIPS & TRICKS FOR WATERFALL & HYBRID PROJECTS

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A GOOD PLAN WILL: • Communicate major deliverables • show the process by which you will provide deliverables or features • Communicate timing and deadlines • Show dependencies • Show roles and assigments

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5
 SIMPLE STEPS TO CREATE A SOLID PROJECT PLAN

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1. RESEARCH & PRE-PLANNING

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KNOW YOUR PRODUCT & STAKEHOLDERS: Conduct your own research to dig deeper on: • Goals/Outcomes • Partnerships and outlying dependencies • Potential issues and risks

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IMPORTANT FACTORS TO DISCUSS: • Product ownership and the decision making process • Stakeholder interest/involvement levels • Key outages, meetings, deadlines, and driving factors • Related or similar projects, goals, and outcomes • The best way to communicate with partners and stakeholders

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ALWAYS KNOW YOUR TEAM: • Expertise • Interests • Collaboration and communication styles • Availability and workload

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2. DRAFT YOUR PLAN

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START 
 ROUGH Sketch and consider: • General process • Deliverables • Sign offs/feedback and iteration plans • Resourcing • Deadlines

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REVIEW YOUR IDEAS WITH YOUR TEAM

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3. MOVE IN TO TEAMGANTT

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LIVE DEMO

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FORMATTING
 TIPS • Break tasks into sections, or groups of tasks • Assign tasks to individuals or groups • Use notes to clarify tasks • Add dependencies • Double-check start and end dates

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4. PRESENT & CONFIRM YOUR PLAN

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REVIEW THE PLAN AGAIN WITH YOUR TEAM

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BE SURE TO
 DISCUSS • Review times • Team work times • Dependencies • Time out/off, meetings, milestones • Final deadline • Any assumptions you have made • Major changes since your last talk

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CONFIRM IT. DELIVER TO STAKEHOLDERS. EXPLAIN.

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5. MANAGE & UPDATE

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PLANS CHANGE
 CONSTANTLY!

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ADAPT TO
 CHANGE • Make updates on progress and changes regularly • Communicate changes to your team, partners and stakeholders • Communicate risks

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PROJECT PLANNING
 TIPS & TRICKS FOR AGILE PROJECTS

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UMMM… DO YOU ACTUALLY “PLAN” AGILE PROJECTS?

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Image Source: https://theagilecoder.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/how-to-set-up-trello-board-for-scrum/

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TRACK THE DETAILS. STAY ENGAGED.

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ADAPTING SCRUM
 WHEN WORKING WITH CLIENTS OR STAKEHOLDERS

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1. IDENTIFY
 ROLES

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THE ROLES OF SCRUM: • Product Owner (Client) • Product Manager (Team Lead) • Scrum Master (PM) • Development Team (UX, Design, Dev Teams)

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2. DEFINE YOUR CADENCE

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SCRUM CEREMONIES: • Sprint Planning • Daily Standup • Sprint Demo • Sprint Retrospective

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SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHO WILL ATTEND EACH CEREMONY.

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3. SET GROUND RULES

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THINGS TO CONSIDER: • Additional stakeholders (and the weight of their opinions) • How you will account for feedback • How you will keep clients in the loop regarding risks, issues, budget • Launch dates: Beta? Final?

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BE A STICKLER FOR THE RULES.

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CARRY ON AND PLAN

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THANK YOU! 
 brettharned.com
 [email protected] @brettharned


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