Learn how to plan, prioritise and deliver higher value features by thinking of deliverable features not in terms of what they cost, but of what they can deliver. XScale is a set of practices based on BDD that enables a product team to efficiently define, budget and prioritise a roadmap or backlog. It’s also a way to answer some questions Agile has traditionally avoided: - How much will a set of features cost? - How do we trade off different feature sets? - How do we know a feature is ready to ship? In this workshop, we outline several key practices and practice using a few of them. The main practices we cover include: - Feature Points, a way to reconcile budgets with story points - Backlog Bingo determines the dollar investment and relative return for a set of products and services - Royal Cod applies Backlog Bingo to prioritize a Breadth-First Roadmap - Release Refactoring enables product owners to make rational trade-offs between feature-sets.

1. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
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Agile Product Planning
A different perspective on features, budgets and estimates

2. John Ferguson Smart
“I help teams of smart people
learn to work together more efficiently,
to deliver better software sooner”
wakaleo john@johnfergusonsmart.com

3. Jan Molak
“Having great ideas is not enough,
it’s the execution that matters”
JanMolak jan.molak@smartcodeltd.co.uk

4. Peter Merel
“Agile isn’t just building products the right way.
It’s building the right products at the right time.”
xscale.wiki peter.merel@mac.com
X S A L E

5. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw

6. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak

7. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
Are you seeing the bigger picture?

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Tell me about your feature investment portfolio?

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Time Cost
Scope

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Time Investment
Scope

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Time Investment
Return

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Investment
Return
Cost of Delay

13. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
Time for a practical example
13
Image copyright Warner Bros.

14. The movie is coming out
on the 5th of August
A new movie is coming out
and we have secured the
rights to develop the game
We work for a games
studio
The opportunity
14
Image copyright Warner Bros.
11Bit Studios

15. What should we build first?How much bang for our
buck do we get from each
feature
What features can help us
achieve our business
goals?
“Riddle me this”
15
“Riddle me this”
DC Comics

16. What should we build first?How much bang for our
buck do we get from each
feature
What features can help
us achieve our business
goals?
“Riddle me this”
16
“Riddle me this”
DC Comics

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https://www.impactmapping.org
Impact Mapping
Practice #1

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https://www.impactmapping.org

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Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games

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Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas
Kids
Genre fans

21. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
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Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas Get the game
Keep playing
Tell your friends
Kids
Genre fans
Crowdsource
production
of in-game
content

22. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
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Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas Get the game
Keep playing
Tell your friends
Kids
Genre fans
Crowdsource
production
of in-game
content
Buying a movie ticket
unlocks extra content
Themes and wallpapers
Integrate with social media
Customisable characters
Achievements and rewards
Level editor

23. Notify friends about
your progress on
social media
Deliverables, capabilities and features
23
Integrate with social media
Deliverable (capabilities)
Features support capabilities

24. What should we build first?How much bang for our
buck do we get from
each feature
What features can help us
achieve our business
goals?
“Riddle me this”
24
“Riddle me this”
DC Comics

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Business Bingo
Practice #2

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Relative estimates trump absolute ones

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Business Bingo
Using conversations and comparisons
To determine relative investment
needed for each feature
And to determine the relative
return for each feature

28. Business Bingo in 7 steps
28
Step 1 - Lay out some Planning Poker cards in a row across a large table
1 2 3 5 8 13 20 40 100

29. Business Bingo in 7 steps
29
Step 2 - Find three “Investment Bears” features: one small, one medium, and
one large
1 2 3 5 8 13 20 40 100
Investment Bears represent the investment
needed in terms of effort and complexity

30. Business Bingo in 7 steps
30
Step 3 - Place the Bears
1 2 3 5 8 13 20 40 100
“Feature Points”

31. Business Bingo in 7 steps
31
Step 4 - Sort the remaining features by required investment relative to the Bears
1 2 3 5 8 13 20 40 100

32. Business Bingo in 7 steps
32
Step 5 - Write down the relative investment for each feature on its card
1 2 3 5 8 13 20 40 100
1
3
3
3
8
8 20

33. Business Bingo in 7 steps
33
Step 5 - We measure relative required investment in “Feature Points”.
3Investment
[Feature Points]

34. Business Bingo in 7 steps
34
Step 6 - Identify three “Value Bear” features and repeat the process for
business value
1 2 3 5 8 13 20 40 100
1
3
3
3
8 8
20

35. Business Bingo in 7 steps
35
Step 6 - Identify three Value Bears and repeat the process for business
value
1 2 3 5 8 13 20 40 100
1
3
3
3
8
8
20 1
1
3
5
13
13
13

36. Business Bingo in 7 steps
36
Step 6 - We record the relative return on investment in “Value Points”
3Investment
[Feature Points]
13 Return
[Value Points]

37. Business Bingo in 7 steps
37
Step 7 - Calculate the relative ROI for each feature
3 13Investment Return
Relative ROI = (Return - Investment) / Investment
ROI = 3

38. Feature Points and budget
38
££££
££
£

39. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
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Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas Get the game
Keep playing
Tell your friends
Kids
Genre fans
Crowdsource
production
of in-game
content
Buying a movie ticket
unlocks extra content
Themes and wallpapers
Integrate with social media
Customisable characters
Achievements and rewards
Level editor
Buying a movie ticket unlocks a free level
Investment: Medium
Return: High

40. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
40
Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas Get the game
Keep playing
Tell your friends
Kids
Genre fans
Crowdsource
production
of in-game
content
Buying a movie ticket
unlocks extra content
Themes and wallpapers
Integrate with social media
Customisable characters
Achievements and rewards
Level editor
Buying a movie ticket unlocks a free level
Complexity: Medium
Value: High
Movie-themed downloadable ring-tone
Investment: Low
Return: Low

41. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
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Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas Get the game
Keep playing
Tell your friends
Kids
Genre fans
Crowdsource
production
of in-game
content
Buying a movie ticket
unlocks extra content
Themes and wallpapers
Integrate with social media
Customisable characters
Achievements and rewards
Level editor
Buying a movie ticket unlocks a free level
Complexity: Medium
Value: High
Movie-themed downloadable dial-tone
Complexity: Low
Value: Low
A stand-alone level editor app
Investment: High
Return: Medium

42. What should we build first?How much bang for our
buck do we get from each
feature
What features can help us
achieve our business
goals?
“Riddle me this”
42
“Riddle me this”
DC Comics

43. Factor in the Cost of DelayPrioritise ROIDeliver features, not stories
What should we build first?
43

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Cost of Delay trumps Return on Investment
Return on Investment (ROI) and Cost of Delay (COD) make…
“Royal Cod”

45. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
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Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas Get the game
Keep playing
Tell your friends
Kids
Genre fans
Crowdsource
production
of in-game
content
Buying a movie ticket
unlocks extra content
Themes and wallpapers
Integrate with social media
Customisable characters
Achievements and rewards
Level editor
Buying a movie ticket unlocks extra content
Investment: Medium
Return: High
Cost of delay: High

46. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
46
Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas Get the game
Keep playing
Tell your friends
Kids
Genre fans
Crowdsource
production
of in-game
content
Buying a movie ticket
unlocks extra content
Themes and wallpapers
Integrate with social media
Customisable characters
Achievements and rewards
Level editor
Buying a movie ticket unlocks extra content
Complexity: Medium
Value: High
Themes and wallpapers
Investment: Low
Return: Low
Cost of delay: Medium

47. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
47
Goal Actor Impact Deliverable
Convert moviegoers
to gamers
Convert gamers
playing other games
Novice
gamers
Casual
gamers
Cinemas Get the game
Keep playing
Tell your friends
Kids
Genre fans
Crowdsource
production
of in-game
content
Buying a movie ticket
unlocks extra content
Themes and wallpapers
Integrate with social media
Customisable characters
Achievements and rewards
Level editor
Buying a movie ticket unlocks extra content
Complexity: Medium
Value: High
Themes and wallpapers
Complexity: Low
Value: Low
Level editor
Investment: High
Return: Medium
Cost of delay: Low

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Release Refactoring
Practice #3
“No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.”
- Helmuth von Moltke

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Release Refactoring
Practice #3
Which features must be
released or the capability is
compromised
Which have concrete
quantifiable benefit across
the board
Which are just “nice to have”

50. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
ROI 2
FP: 8
ROI 0.7
FP: 5
ROI 14
FP: 11
ROI 3
FP: 8
ROI -6
FP: 3
ROI 15
FP: 11
ROI 5.9
FP: 13ROI 14
FP: 11
50
Buying a movie ticket
unlocks extra content
Themes and wallpapers Level editor
Capabilities
ROI 9
FP: 8
ROI 5
FP: 3
ROI 1.7
FP: 21
ROI -0.7
FP: 5
ROI 5.9
FP: 13
ROI 3
FP: 8
ROI 2
FP: 8
ROI 9
FP: 5
ROI 7.2
FP: 3
ROI -0.7
FP: 3
ROI -6
FP: 3
Must Have Should Have Nice to Have

51. bit.ly/agile-product-planning-draw @wakaleo @janmolak
Thank you!
John Ferguson Smart and Jan Molak
john@johnfergusonsmart.com
http://www.wakaleo.com
X S A L E
http://xscale.wiki
jan.molak@smartcodeltd.co.uk