The Point of Planning

We like planning so we much we do a little ‘planning’ every day.

This was originally said about “designing” in the context of emergent design, but can equally be applied to planning. The underlying incremental principle is the same: do a little of what you need to do often, every day if possible. By taking an agile approach to planning we acknowledge that change is inevitable and we will be better served by a plan that responds to change than one that reflects some other reality. Put another way: what use, to anyone, is a plan that doesn’t reflect reality?

A plan should give us a picture of what we can expect from the team. It sets expectations between the different interested parties on what needs to be done and when we expect work to be completed. As such, it is a very important document and one we should tend with care. When we set expectations, we lay the foundation for trust in our relationships. Meeting those expectations will build trust and our relationships will improve. The benefits come from here: open and supportive dialog is enjoyed when people trust each other, and doesn’t when they don’t. When we fail to regularly meet expectations we have set, our hard earned trust will quickly erode and, once lost, is very difficult to regain.

Our aim is to have a plan that reflects our progress and one we can use to predict when we will be finished.

Is that too much to ask for?