From Project to Product: Don't You Dare Mess With Planning

October 14, 2021 | 1:00 PM ET

If you work in tech, you probably have a love/hate relationship with project planning. We dislike it because to get it right, we need to accurately predict the future, a largely impossible task. On the other hand, we like it because it gives business leaders the "predictability" they long for in order to make sound decisions that drive business growth.

Some in the agile community have resisted the need for planning, while others have simply encouraged planning in shorter cycles. As the shift from project thinking to product thinking becomes mainstream, we need to reconsider the impact on planning.

Join Anne Steiner, Cprime’s VP of Product & Technology, in this fourth installment of our Project to Product series. In this session, Anne takes a deep dive into planning and discusses how this changes for the better as we shift from project to product. We explore:

• The difference between project plans and product horizons
• Turning the Iron Triangle over: Time, Budget, Scope is still a "pick two"
• How to estimate in ranges
• Ways to create roadmaps and product horizons at the portfolio, product family, and product levels
• The reasons to steer the conversation from "When will you be done?" to "What are we investing in next?"

Speakers

Anne Steiner VP, Product & Technology @Cprime Anne Steiner leads the Cprime Product Agility and Technology practice and was previously band leader for DevJam - a group of collaborative agilists based in Minneapolis who teach, coach, and practice a pragmatic blend of product, processes, and technologies. DevJam has helped companies of all shapes and sizes transform from traditional, project-thinking to become product-driven organizations that emphasize continuous learning. Anne has more than 20 years’ experience in the software industry, working as a developer, product owner, product leader, and coach. Anne also actively promotes building communities of practitioners in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and frequently speaks at national and regional events.

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