SkarpChapter 13 of 20
Planning and Executing in Agile: Backlogs, Estimation, and Delivery
See how agile teams turn a vision into a prioritized backlog, size and forecast work, and deliver value iteratively and incrementally.
From Vision to Backlog: How Agile Planning Works
Agile Planning Is Continuous
Agile planning is ongoing and lightweight. It relies on empirical process control: transparency, inspection, and adaptation, rather than a single detailed upfront plan.
Projects and Adaptive Life Cycles
A project is "A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result." Adaptive life cycles define detailed scope per iteration, not all at once.
The Product Backlog
In Scrum, the product backlog is "An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product, managed by the product owner." It is the core agile planning artifact.
High-Level Flow
Teams move from vision to backlog items, refine and order them, select a realistic slice per iteration, then deliver a usable increment and adapt based on feedback.
Exam Link: Lifecycle Choice
When requirements are uncertain and the cost of change is high, CAPM expects you to recognize that agile or hybrid lifecycles using backlogs and iterations fit best.
Deep Dive: Product Backlog and the Product Owner
Canonical Definition
Remember exactly: the product backlog is "An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product, managed by the product owner."
What "Ordered" Really Means
Ordered means ranked by importance. The backlog is not a to-do pile; the top items are the most valuable and clearest, guiding near-term work.
Evolving Scope
The backlog holds everything that is known now. Items are added, split, merged, or removed as the team and stakeholders learn more.
Product Owner Accountability
The product owner is accountable for ordering the backlog to maximize value. Others advise, but the PO makes the final call on ordering.
Exam Traps and Hybrid Context
Do not confuse product backlog with sprint backlog, and do not treat it as fixed scope. In hybrids, a requirements traceability matrix may coexist with a product backlog.
User Stories and Acceptance Criteria
What Is a User Story?
User stories describe work from the user’s point of view: As a [user], I want [goal], so that [reason]. They emphasize who, what, and why.
User Story Example
Example: As an online banking customer, I want to view my last 10 transactions so that I can quickly verify recent activity.
Canonical Acceptance Criteria Definition
Acceptance criteria are "A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted." Memorize this wording for CAPM.
Acceptance Criteria Example
Criteria might include: show exactly 10 recent transactions; display date, description, amount, balance; load within 2 seconds on standard broadband.
Exam Distinction: AC vs DoD
Acceptance criteria are story-specific. The Definition of Done is a shared checklist for all work, such as code reviewed and tests passing.
Practice: Write a User Story and Acceptance Criteria
Try this short exercise to lock in the canonical definition of acceptance criteria and get comfortable writing user stories.
Scenario: Your university wants a simple mobile feature that lets students download their class schedule as a PDF.
- Write a user story using the template:
- As a ...
- I want ...
- So that ...
- Add at least three acceptance criteria. Remember the canonical definition: acceptance criteria are "A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted." Make each condition specific and testable.
Pause and draft your answer (mentally or in your notes) before reading a sample.
Sample answer (one of many possible):
User story:
- As a full-time student,
- I want to download my current class schedule as a PDF,
- So that I can easily print it or share it with others.
Possible acceptance criteria:
- The PDF includes course name, code, day, time, and room for all enrolled classes.
- The schedule reflects the latest enrollment data as of the time of download.
- The PDF downloads successfully on both Android and iOS devices.
Check your work: Are your acceptance criteria clearly conditions that must be met before the deliverable is accepted? Are they testable, not vague?
Agile Estimation: Story Points and Relative Sizing
Relative, Not Absolute
Agile estimation uses relative size. Teams compare items to each other instead of guessing exact hours, which reduces false precision.
Story Points Basics
Story points are abstract units combining effort, complexity, and risk. Only the ratios matter: a 10-point story is about twice a 5-point story.
Fibonacci Scale
Teams often use 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20 for story points. Larger gaps reflect greater uncertainty in larger pieces of work.
Planning Poker Steps
Explain the story, each member secretly picks a point card, reveal together, discuss high/low estimates, and re-vote until the team converges.
Exam Reminders
The team doing the work estimates. Points are not comparable across teams. Estimates support forecasting, not mandatory overtime targets.
Velocity and Forecasting Delivery
What Is Velocity?
Velocity is the amount of work a team completes in an iteration, usually measured in story points. It is based on actually finished, Done work.
Empirical, Not Assumed
You do not choose velocity; you observe it over several iterations and use an average. One sprint alone may not be representative.
Forecasting with Velocity
To forecast, divide remaining story points by average velocity. Example: 240 points ÷ 30 points per sprint ≈ 8 sprints.
Proper Use of Velocity
Velocity is a team metric, not for comparing teams or judging individuals. Only work meeting the Definition of Done counts.
Hybrid Context
In hybrids, velocity helps forecast agile work, while predictive tools like critical path or Gantt charts govern plan-based components.
Backlog Refinement and Sprint Planning
Backlog Refinement Purpose
Backlog refinement keeps the top of the product backlog small, clear, and estimated. The PO and team clarify, split, and re-order items.
Refinement Activities
Teams clarify stories, add acceptance criteria, estimate items, and adjust ordering based on new value, risk, or dependency information.
Sprint Planning: The What
At sprint planning, the PO shares top items and a sprint goal. The team forecasts what they can deliver using velocity and capacity.
Sprint Planning: The How
The team breaks selected stories into tasks and creates a plan for how to complete them within the sprint.
Scrum vs Kanban Selection
Scrum uses timeboxed sprints and sprint planning. Kanban uses continuous pull and WIP limits instead of a sprint planning event.
Iterative and Incremental Delivery: MVPs and Small Slices
Iterative vs Incremental
Incremental delivery adds usable pieces each sprint. Iterative delivery means revisiting and improving based on feedback. Agile uses both.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
An MVP is the smallest set of features that delivers real value and enables learning. It is not a prototype; it must be usable.
Small Usable Slices
Teams slice work vertically across UI, logic, and data to solve a real user problem, instead of building full layers one at a time.
Sprint Review
At the sprint review, the team inspects the increment with stakeholders, gathers feedback, and updates the product backlog.
Sprint Retrospective
In the retrospective, the team inspects and adapts its process, improving flow and quality in future iterations.
Quick Check: Backlogs and Estimation
Test your understanding of product backlogs and agile estimation.
Which statement best describes the product backlog in Scrum?
- A time-phased schedule of all project tasks, managed by the project manager.
- An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product, managed by the product owner.
- A list of tasks the development team commits to complete in the current sprint.
- A grid that links product requirements from their origin to the deliverables that satisfy them.
Show Answer
Answer: B) An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product, managed by the product owner.
The canonical definition is: the product backlog is "An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product, managed by the product owner." Option 3 describes the sprint backlog, and option 4 is the requirements traceability matrix.
Quick Check: Velocity and Forecasting
Apply velocity to a simple forecasting problem.
A team’s average velocity is 25 story points per 2-week sprint. The product owner wants to know roughly how many sprints are needed to complete 150 remaining story points (assuming scope does not change). What is the best forecast?
- 4 sprints
- 5 sprints
- 6 sprints
- 8 sprints
Show Answer
Answer: C) 6 sprints
Divide remaining points by average velocity: 150 ÷ 25 = 6 sprints. Forecasts are approximate and assume stable velocity and scope, but 6 is the correct calculation.
Key Terms Review
Flip these cards to reinforce core definitions you will need for the CAPM exam.
- product backlog
- An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product, managed by the product owner.
- acceptance criteria
- A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted.
- adaptive life cycle
- A development life cycle that is agile, iterative, or incremental. The detailed scope is defined and approved before the start of an iteration.
- velocity
- The amount of work a team completes in an iteration, usually measured in story points, based on items that meet the Definition of Done.
- Planning Poker
- A collaborative agile estimation technique where team members independently select story point values, reveal them simultaneously, discuss differences, and re-vote until they converge.
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- The smallest set of features that delivers real value to users and enables meaningful learning about the product direction.
- backlog refinement
- An ongoing activity where the product owner and team clarify, split, estimate, and re-order product backlog items to keep upcoming work ready.
Apply It: Choosing Lifecycle and Planning Approach
Use this thought exercise to connect agile planning to lifecycle selection, a skill tested on CAPM.
Scenario: A company is developing a new mobile app for a market they do not know well. Requirements are vague, and stakeholders expect frequent changes based on user feedback. However, integration with an existing billing system is well understood and must follow strict regulatory deadlines.
Reflect and answer for yourself:
- Lifecycle choice: Which parts of this work are best handled with an adaptive life cycle, and which with a predictive one?
- Backlog usage: How would a product backlog help manage the uncertain mobile app requirements?
- Forecasting: Once the mobile team has a few sprints of data, how could they use velocity to give leadership a realistic range for when an MVP might be ready?
Sample reasoning:
- Use an adaptive life cycle (Scrum or Kanban/XP) for the mobile app, with a product backlog of user stories, evolving acceptance criteria, and iterative delivery of small slices.
- Use a predictive life cycle for the billing integration, with a detailed plan and fixed milestones.
- Coordinate via a hybrid approach: align integration points and dates, but allow the app backlog to change as user feedback arrives.
This mirrors CAPM-style questions where you must match lifecycle, backlog usage, and forecasting techniques to requirement stability and cost of change.
Key Terms
- project
- A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
- velocity
- The amount of work a team completes in an iteration, usually measured in story points, based on items that meet the Definition of Done.
- increment
- A concrete stepping stone toward the product goal; in Scrum, a usable piece of the product that meets the Definition of Done and could be released.
- user story
- A short, simple description of a feature told from the perspective of the user or customer, often using the format: As a [user], I want [goal], so that [reason].
- stakeholder
- An individual, group, or organization who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project, program, or portfolio.
- Planning Poker
- A collaborative agile estimation technique where team members independently select story point values, reveal them simultaneously, discuss differences, and re-vote until they converge.
- product backlog
- An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product, managed by the product owner.
- backlog refinement
- An ongoing activity where the product owner and team clarify, split, estimate, and re-order product backlog items to keep upcoming work ready.
- acceptance criteria
- A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted.
- adaptive life cycle
- A development life cycle that is agile, iterative, or incremental. The detailed scope is defined and approved before the start of an iteration.
- predictive life cycle
- A development life cycle in which the project scope, time, and cost are determined in the early phases of the life cycle.
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
- The smallest set of features that delivers real value to users and enables meaningful learning about the product direction.
- requirements traceability matrix
- A grid that links product requirements from their origin to the deliverables that satisfy them.