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In the dynamic field of project management, effective capacity planning is essential for teams striving to meet their commitments while avoiding unrealistic expectations. Rally, a comprehensive tool designed for agile teams, provides various features to enhance this crucial planning process. By leveraging these tools, organizations can better align their resources, manage workloads, and deliver value sustainably.
One of the primary applications of Rally’s capacity planning tools occurs during Big Room Planning (BRP) events, which are typically held quarterly or at designated intervals. These collaborative sessions enable teams to evaluate their capacities against the demands placed on them, fostering informed decision-making and reducing the risks associated with overcommitment.
Creating a capacity plan for your teams
As teams prepare for the upcoming Release/Planning Interval, referred to as “2025 R3,” drafting a comprehensive capacity plan is crucial. This plan provides visibility into the workload of each team, helping them confirm their commitments and facilitating discussions about trade-offs and potential challenges.
Understanding team capacity
Rally’s platform supports the creation of multiple capacity plans for the same teams, allowing project managers to explore various scenarios and outcomes. Users with Planner permissions can access all plans, whether they are published or in draft form, enabling them to adjust and refine strategies as necessary. The initial step in developing a capacity plan involves estimating the capacity of each team based on historical performance. For example, if the Red Team has demonstrated an average velocity of 41 points per iteration, their projected capacity for the upcoming PI can be calculated—assuming four iterations, this results in a total capacity of 164 points.
Estimation techniques for accurate planning
Accurate estimation is vital in capacity planning, and leveraging past experiences is a valuable approach. By examining previous feature deliveries, teams can establish a solid foundation for their initial estimates. In Rally, estimates are often categorized using t-shirt sizes, providing a quick visual reference for the complexity and effort involved.
Refining estimates as planning evolves
As the planning process advances, teams are encouraged to refine their estimates, especially after detailed discussions about User Stories. Rally accommodates these updates efficiently; a Refined Estimate supersedes the initial estimate, while the absence of an estimate triggers a warning icon, prompting users to enter necessary data. Additionally, the Points Rollup feature aggregates the estimates of all related User Stories, facilitating better oversight of overall progress.
Once teams have compiled a prioritized list of features, the next step involves allocating these features to the respective teams based on their capacity and capability. This process is supported by the Add Features option in the capacity plan. If a feature requires input from multiple teams, the Allocate option enables project managers to distribute the estimated points accordingly, ensuring no team is overloaded. A best practice suggests reserving approximately 20% of each team’s capacity for unforeseen events, safeguarding against overcommitment.
Publishing and validating the plan
Before disseminating the capacity plan to all stakeholders, it is essential to publish it, enhancing visibility beyond the planning team. This step is crucial for engaging with broader teams during the BRP event. When publishing, planners can update key fields within the planned features or choose to publish without changes, allowing for collaborative refinement during the event.
After all stakeholders have contributed their input and the plan is finalized, the capacity planning can be reassessed for any necessary adjustments. At this stage, it is also possible to update release dates and establish a definitive Plan of Record. This finalized plan will serve as a baseline for tracking progress and ensuring alignment among all teams moving forward.
To maximize the effectiveness of Rally’s capacity planning tools, it is advisable for teams to initiate this process at least two to four weeks before their next BRP event. Early planning enhances readiness, leading to improved collaboration and more realistic commitments for delivering value.