Chapter 15. Release planning: envisioning the overall schedule
If you work with a smaller team doing smaller projects, it may be relatively easy to create a release plan: you define the iteration length and see how many iterations will fit into the window of time allotted for the project. But as projects grow in size, complexity increases, and so does the need for coordination. Our case study is emulating a medium-size project team working on a medium-size project. We’ll stay within the medium-size context as we discuss the pieces of a release that most teams need to consider when creating their release plan.
If we reflect for a moment, Acme Media has spent one week taking its medium-size project through feasibility, chartering, and creation of feature cards. In this chapter, you’ll watch as Acme Media gathers additional information and outlines its release schedule.
Sometimes, confusion exists about the terms release and project. In the instance of your pilot project, release and project are synonymous. Although every iteration of the Auctionator will deliver releasable software, the initial goal of the project is to wait until all iterations are complete before releasing.
Acme Media still needs to gather some additional information before outlining a release plan. Let’s start the chapter by finding this information.