PI Planning Readiness with Jennifer Claxton

In this talk, Jennifer Claxton details a readiness-focused PI Planning approach born from real-world experience in a large financial services firm.

She was inspired by Ken Clyne’s ideas on PI Planning salvage efforts. She emphasizes the importance of being prepared before planning to avoid having to make fixes afterward.

This talk delves into the challenge of insufficient context derailing agile team directions during PI Planning, resulting in capacity constraints.

She proposes a collaborative, continuous model to navigate the fine line between over-planning and insufficient detail.

She addresses the following topics on PI Planning Readiness:

How to ensure program backlog readiness to avoid post-PI Planning fixes:

Jennifer emphasizes the importance of having a well-prepared program backlog before PI Planning sessions. Teams can avoid post-PI Planning corrections by clearly defining and prioritizing all backlog items. This leads to smoother execution and better alignment.

How collaborative PI Planning mitigates uncertainties and capacity limitations:

She discusses how a collaborative approach to PI Planning helps to address and reduce uncertainties. By including everyone in the planning, teams can see their limits and make practical plans together.

Prerequisites for effective PI Planning readiness:

Jennifer outlines the essential prerequisites for effective PI Planning readiness. These include having detailed Epics, ensuring product management is well-informed, empowering technical stakeholders to make decisions, and maintaining robust business-IT alignment. These elements are crucial for a successful PI Planning process.

How to refine features early for clarity and alignment pre-planning:

She explains the importance of refining features early in the process to ensure clarity and alignment before PI Planning. By doing this, teams can avoid misunderstandings and misalignments during the planning sessions, leading to more effective and efficient PI Planning.

Tangible results include enhanced ART readiness tracked through tailored progress reports:

Jennifer shares tangible results from her approach, including enhanced Agile Release Train (ART) readiness. By tracking progress through tailored reports, teams can monitor their readiness and make necessary adjustments to ensure continuous improvement.

Jennifer’s insights detail how PI Planning Readiness can mitigate uncertainties and streamline agile processes, offering actionable strategies for planning success:

Finally, Jennifer provides actionable strategies for successful PI Planning. By focusing on readiness and reducing uncertainties, her approach helps to streamline agile processes, making them more efficient and effective.

ABOUT Jennifer Claxton:

Jennifer Claxton, an Agile Transformation Manager Principal, is a distinguished leader in IT, recognized for consistently delivering exceptional business value. With a strong background in IT leadership, she excels in problem-solving and detail-oriented execution, ensuring the achievement of set goals.

Jennifer’s dedication to fostering strong team relationships, rooted in quality, integrity, and a robust work ethic, is evident. Certified as a SAFe Agilist and Project Management Professional, she advocates for Agile methodologies and efficient project management to elevate customer value.

With a Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, she merges academic excellence with practical expertise.

Jennifer’s entrepreneurial spirit extends beyond technology as a small business owner and as a Certified Advanced Neurotoxin Injector, showcasing her diverse skill set and interests.

Her strategic vision and passion for innovation position her as a transformative leader, bridging technology, business agility, and customer-centric solutions.