The methodology follows a project from the first request to long-term support. Each phase has one main goal. Knowing the goal tells you which techniques to reach for.
- Estimate. Understand the customer’s needs and define a clear scope, so the project can be priced and committed to. More on the estimate phase.
- Kickoff. The estimate becomes the set of constraints the project will live within. Confirm the team, stakeholders, timeline and dependencies. In organizations that plan in quarterly increments, this is where the project is assigned to a team and its dependencies on other teams are identified.
- Pre-production. Turn the scope into well-defined development tasks in the backlog. More on pre-production.
- Production. Build, test and iterate in sprints. More on production.
- Release. Get working, documented, validated software into users’ hands. More on release and support.
- Maintenance and support. Fix defects, answer support requests and handle small follow-on work.
| Phase | Goal | The question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate | Clear scope and cost | Do we know what we want to build, what it will cost and when we can deliver it? |
| Pre-production | Tasks ready in the backlog | Do we understand the goal in enough detail to build it, and have we answered the big, risky questions? |
| Production | Tasks completed, so the requirements are met | Have we built everything we need? |
| Release | Delivered to the customer | Is it finished from a business standpoint, and does the customer have it and accept it? |
| Maintenance | The product stays healthy | Is it still meeting its users’ needs? |
Who’s Who on a Project
Before starting work, find out who holds each role, and write it down in one place:
- Producer (release manager or delivery lead): responsible for releases and their deadlines.
- Project manager: responsible for meeting the requirements and the quality the customer expects.
- Product owner and product stakeholders: decide how the work fits the product and what matters most.
- Customer and subject matter experts: know the real-world need and how things work in real life.
- The development team: estimates and builds the work, usually with input from management and business development.
Also find out whether each deadline is external (for example, contractual) or internal (for example, set in quarterly planning). External deadlines are much harder to move.
The Project Overview
Every project needs a single, up-to-date document that contains or links to all its information. At minimum it should record:
- Key people: producer, project manager, stakeholders, subject matter experts
- The customer and the target release
- Timeline, milestones and dependencies on other teams
- A link to the source of the scope, such as the requirements
- Where discussion happens, such as a chat channel or tracking ticket
It sounds basic. In practice, “where is the latest version of…?” is one of the biggest wastes of time on a project.