Produce Planning Cards Help Agile Teams Estimate Work
MERCH: Produce Planning Cards™ for Agile Teams
02 August 2019
Planning cards help agile teams estimate work. Products for sale typically involve cards with numbers (exempli gratia, 0 … 34) or sometimes alternatives such as t-shirt sizes (exempli gratia, XS … XL).
Custom agile planning cards, Produce Planning Cards™, were created by Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™. They feature a unique combination of both number values and images of fruit. For example, the 1 card has the number 1 and a picture of a blueberry, while the 34 card has the number 34 and a picture of a pineapple. With these cards, estimators can reference the numbers, the different size fruit, or both. "Produce" in the name of the cards has a double meaning: It relates to both the noun produce (specifically fruit) and the verb produce (as in to create). This is explained below.
The Produce Planning Cards™ were originally developed as a promotional item, distributed to clients of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™. Reactions were incredibly positive, and several people subsequently asked how they could get their own set. Based on demand, Produce Planning Cards™ are now available for purchase while supplies last. This brief article provides an overview and update on the product.
The Development Team—which may be comprised of business analysts, coders, testers, etc.—collaboratively estimates each item in the product backlog in story points. Story points are a relative measure of complexity.
Participants
Frequency
Time-box (not to exceed duration)
Prerequisites/Inputs
Suggested Steps
Options
Some organizations use a subset of the cards and slice product backlog items when the estimate is "too large." Here's an example:
— 0 (No picture)
— 1 (Blueberry)
— 2 (Cherry)
— 3 (Strawberry)
— 5 (Plum)
— 8 (Apple)
— 13 (Orange)
— 21 (Coconut)
— 34 (Pineapple)
— "?” (No picture)
While supplies last, Produce Planning Cards™ are $9.95 per set plus sales tax and shipping. For additional information and to place an order, visit our MERCH page.
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Connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
© Copyright 2019 Scott M. Graffius, Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius/Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™.
Custom agile planning cards, Produce Planning Cards™, were created by Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™. They feature a unique combination of both number values and images of fruit. For example, the 1 card has the number 1 and a picture of a blueberry, while the 34 card has the number 34 and a picture of a pineapple. With these cards, estimators can reference the numbers, the different size fruit, or both. "Produce" in the name of the cards has a double meaning: It relates to both the noun produce (specifically fruit) and the verb produce (as in to create). This is explained below.
The Produce Planning Cards™ were originally developed as a promotional item, distributed to clients of Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™. Reactions were incredibly positive, and several people subsequently asked how they could get their own set. Based on demand, Produce Planning Cards™ are now available for purchase while supplies last. This brief article provides an overview and update on the product.
Video: Produce Planning Cards™ Help Agile Teams Estimate Work
Product Specs
- Type of cards: Poker sized
- Number of cards per deck: 54
- Dimensions in inches: 2.48 x 3.46
- Dimensions in mm: 63 x 88
- Printing: Full color print
- Material stock: 330 GSM professional weight stock
- Material finish: Finest quality, superior smooth finish
- Material sourcing: Printer sources materials from well-managed forests, and it supports green practices
- Printer: Printer is a prominent manufacturer in the gaming industry
Additional Information Including Suggested Usage
The Development Team—which may be comprised of business analysts, coders, testers, etc.—collaboratively estimates each item in the product backlog in story points. Story points are a relative measure of complexity.
Participants
- Product Owner
- Development Team
- Scrum Master (facilitator/observer)
Frequency
- Once or twice per sprint
Time-box (not to exceed duration)
- One hour for each week of the sprint
- It’s a common practice to limit each meeting to one hour and have multiple meetings as appropriate
Prerequisites/Inputs
- Product backlog containing user stories, bugs, and other requirements
- One set of planning cards for each member of the Development Team
Suggested Steps
- 1. If each member of the Development Team does not already have their own set of planning cards, the Scrum Master provides materials as needed
- 2. The Product Owner describes an item (a user story, bug, or other requirement) from the product backlog and mentions its intent and business value
- 3. Each member of the Development Team silently picks a card best representing their assessment of the complexity of the work and places the card face-down
- 4. After all of the Development Team members have made their selections, the cards are turned face-up, and the values are read aloud
- 5. If all of the selections have the same value, the Product Owner records it as the estimate, and that completes the exercise for the item; otherwise, proceed to the next step
- 6. Team member(s) who gave an outlier value —such as someone who gave a high value and/or someone who gave a low value—explain their reasoning
- 7. After a brief discussion, the team may take the most common value (the mode average) as the estimate or they may play another round of this planning game (steps 3-7)
- 8. Steps 2-7 are repeated until each item in the product backlog has been estimated
- 9. The Product Owner updates the product backlog with the estimate values
Options
Some organizations use a subset of the cards and slice product backlog items when the estimate is "too large." Here's an example:
- Development Team uses cards with the following values: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and 21
- Predetermined that 21 is "too large"
- If a product backlog item is estimated at 21, it is sliced into two or more parts in collaboration with the Product Owner, and the resulting smaller items are estimated by the Development Team
What's Included
- Each deck of Produce Planning Cards™ contains four sets of cards—enough for four estimators
- Each of the four sets has a unique color on the front side of cards—it’s in either blue, green, orange, or yellow
- Cards are based on the Fibonacci sequence, where every number after two is the sum of the two preceding numbers
- Each set includes cards with the following values and images:
— 0 (No picture)
— 1 (Blueberry)
— 2 (Cherry)
— 3 (Strawberry)
— 5 (Plum)
— 8 (Apple)
— 13 (Orange)
— 21 (Coconut)
— 34 (Pineapple)
— "?” (No picture)
- Each deck includes instructions
- Each deck comes in a storage case
Produce Planning Cards™ are Available for a Limited Time
While supplies last, Produce Planning Cards™ are $9.95 per set plus sales tax and shipping. For additional information and to place an order, visit our MERCH page.
Let's Connect
Connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
© Copyright 2019 Scott M. Graffius, Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius/Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™.
Estimation Tool for Agile Teams: Produce Planning Cards (Limited Edition)
30 January 2019
🔥 Update: The limited-edition product sold out!
Planning cards help agile teams estimate work. Decks of the cards were originally distributed as a promotional item. Reactions were incredibly positive, and several people asked how they could get their own set. Based on demand, Produce Planning Cards™ (Limited Edition) are now available for purchase. This article covers what's included, product information, suggested guidelines for use (including a video), and how to get them—while supplies last.
What's Included
- Each deck of Produce Planning Cards™ contains four sets of cards—enough for four estimators
- Each of the four sets has a unique color on the front side of cards—it’s in either blue, green, orange, or yellow
- Cards are based on the Fibonacci sequence, where every number after two is the sum of the two preceding numbers
- Each set includes cards with the following values and images:
——— 0 (No picture)
——— 1 (Blueberry)
——— 2 (Cherry)
——— 3 (Strawberry)
——— 5 (Plum)
——— 8 (Apple)
——— 13 (Orange)
——— 21 (Coconut)
——— 34 (Pineapple)
——— "?” (No picture)
- Each deck includes instructions
- Each deck comes in a storage case
Product Information
- Type of cards: Poker sized
- Number of cards per deck: 54
- Dimensions in inches: 2.48 x 3.46
- Dimensions in mm: 63 x 88
- Printing: Full color print
- Material stock: 330 GSM professional weight stock
- Material finish: Finest quality, superior smooth finish
- Material sourcing: Printer sources materials from well-managed forests, and it supports green practices
- Printer: Printer is a prominent manufacturer in the gaming industry
Suggested Guidelines for Use
The product page is referenced at the end of this article. That page includes a PDF with suggested guidelines for use—and more. A video (shown below) also covers the topic.
Produce Planning Cards™ Help Agile Teams Estimate Work from Scott Graffius on Vimeo.
How to Get Them
🔥 Update: The limited-edition product sold out!
Produce Planning Cards™ are available here: http://exceptional-pmo.com/Produce-Planning-Cards/. While supplies last!
Items ship within the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico via USPS Priority Mail in a small flat rate box with delivery confirmation.
About Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions
A fantastic agile transformation experience and result with a client organization in the entertainment industry was the inspiration for Scott M. Graffius’s multi award-winning book, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions (ISBN-13: 978-1533370242).
Here's an excerpt from the book: "Shifting customer needs are common in today's marketplace. Businesses must be adaptive and responsive to change while delivering an exceptional customer experience to be competitive. Traditional development and delivery frameworks such as waterfall are often ineffective. In contrast, Scrum is a value-driven agile approach which incorporates adjustments based on regular and repeated customer and stakeholder feedback. And Scrum’s built-in rapid response to change leads to substantial benefits such as fast time-to-market, higher satisfaction, and continuous improvement—which supports innovation and drives competitive advantage."
With clear and easy to follow instructions, Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions helps you:
- Implement and use the most popular agile framework―Scrum;
- Deliver products in short cycles with rapid adaptation to change, fast time-to-market, and continuous improvement; and
- Support innovation and drive competitive advantage.
Hailed by Literary Titan as “the book highlights the versatility of Scrum beautifully.”
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Agile Scrum: Your Quick Start Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions is available in paperback and ebook/Kindle in the United States and around the world. Some links by country follow. Get your copy today!
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© Copyright 2019 Scott M. Graffius, Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius/Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™.
Learn More About Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions
01 February 2019
About Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions
Our mission is to help organizations strengthen their project management capabilities and realize their strategic objectives and business initiatives.
Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions provides advisory, training, and facilitative consulting services related to project, program, portfolio, and PMO management. Our expertise spans agile, traditional waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
While every engagement is unique, business outcomes typically include getting more projects done, faster delivery and time-to-market, improved on-budget performance, better management of risks, improved customer and stakeholder satisfaction, more consistent realization of business results, and greater competitive advantage.
Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions has a Delighted Client Guarantee™. Our proven approach organizes projects into manageable deliverables with success criteria. When our clients are delighted with the results, we get paid.
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- Read our blog (http://exceptional-pmo.com/blog/),
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© Copyright 2019 Scott M. Graffius, Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of Scott M. Graffius/Exceptional PPM and PMO Solutions™.