Release planning
Release planning is deciding which backlog items go into which release and roughly when each release will ship. A team combines its measured pace, the priority order of the backlog and the dependencies between items to produce a release plan. The plan is a forecast, and the team revises it as work is finished.
The longer version
Three inputs do most of the work. The first is pace, measured as velocity in story points per sprint or as throughput in items finished per week. The second is the order of the backlog, which says what matters most. The third is the set of constraints around the work, such as a dependency on another team, a fixed date for a contract or a trade show, and the capacity lost to holidays. With those in hand a team can draw a line through the backlog and say that the items above it are likely to make the release.
The output is a release plan, which usually names a goal for the release, the items expected in it and a target date or range. One of the two has to give. A fixed date makes scope the variable, and a fixed scope makes the date the variable. A range with a likely date and a later one says more about what the team knows than a single day does. The plan is rechecked every sprint against what was finished, and items move in or out as the pace becomes clearer.
Scrum has no release planning event. The Scrum Guide 2020 describes the Sprint and the four events inside it, Sprint Planning, the Daily Scrum, the Sprint Review and the Sprint Retrospective, and it does not mention a release plan. What it does say is that practices for forecasting progress, such as burn-downs, burn-ups and cumulative flows, have proven useful and do not replace empiricism, since only what has already happened can inform forward-looking decisions. Release planning fits inside that statement as long as the plan is treated as a forecast. Release management picks up where it ends, covering how an approved release is built, checked and shipped.
Common questions
What is release planning in agile?
Release planning in agile is the practice of forecasting which backlog items will be delivered in an upcoming release and when, based on the team's measured pace and the priority of the work. The result is a release plan that the team updates as sprints finish.
Is release planning part of Scrum?
The Scrum Guide 2020 does not define a release planning event or a release plan. Teams that use Scrum often add release planning as a practice of their own, and the Guide's note on forecasting says such practices are useful and do not replace learning from what has already happened.
What goes into a release plan?
A release plan usually holds a goal for the release, the backlog items expected to be in it, a target date or date range, and the known risks and dependencies. Some teams add the assumptions behind the forecast, such as the velocity used, so a reader can see when one has changed.
How do you forecast a release date?
Divide the remaining work by the pace the team has recently achieved, using story points and velocity or item counts and throughput. Running the sum with a low and a high figure for pace gives a date range, which reflects the uncertainty better than a single date.
How often should a release plan be updated?
A release plan is worth revisiting at the end of every sprint or iteration, when the team knows what was finished and what was added to the backlog. A plan left untouched for months describes what the team knew on the day it was written.
Bug reports that arrive ready to triage.
Collect replay, console, network and browser context with the Free plan.