Level Up Developments Process

Breaking down goals into smaller pieces to measure value and velocity starting from your vision.


Solution Vision

Function: To understand what long-term success looks like.

Core Components:

  • Value – who is intended to value this solution and how.
  • Assumptions, Risks, Known Issues – every project has its unknowns, so assumptions must be made upfront to help with preparations, as well as identifying any known or potential risks and issues.
  • Stakeholders and Roles – who will be accountable and responsible for decision-making on the stakeholder side of things?
  • Agile Team Members – we function as a well-oiled team because we work together but also know what each other is accountable for and whom to turn to for what.

Factors to Consider:

  • What is the Value in what we can create for the organization and its customers, employees, and or partners?
  • What are the resources the organization has put forth for this goal?

Phase:

  • A Solution Goal is created before a project kicks off. It creates the initial alignment between the Agile Team(s) and Core Stakeholders to align on the value-creation process.

Measurement:

  • Usage Analytics
  • Defining metrics associated with the value of the solution. For example, if this solution is meant to cut down on customer service call around xyz functionality, you will need to measure and compare post-release(s).


Goals

Function:

Goals are made up of Objectives and Results. This concept comes from OKRs. The OKR framework was created to help organizations set clear, measurable goals and track their progress toward achieving them. Together they create Qualitative and Quantitative goals.

Think of Objectives as the tool that breaks down your Vision into agile measurable steps. They identify the key themes and focus areas of your Vision. They are infinitely flexible and can be anything from customer satisfaction, innovation, efficiency, or a proof of concept. Objectives help by providing focus on the goal; with a clear goal in place.

Key Results provides a set of quantifiable outcomes that give your team clear goals and structure. Key Results serve as the performance indicators that help an individual or organization track their progress and evaluate whether they are on track to achieve their Objectives.

Factors to Consider:

  • Are you Objectives aligned with the organizational ∓ strategic goals?
  • Do the Objectives properly convey the expectations of leadership?
  • Are the Key Results measurable?/li>
  • Collectively do all of your Key Results provide a definition of done for the objective?

Phase:

  • Pre-Kickoff
  • After OKR completion
  • After Roadmap adjustments
  • A significant business event

Measurement:

  • Quarterly


Roadmap

Function:

Roadmaps serve as a strategic planning tool that provides a clear, high-level visual representation of the direction and timeline for a solution which outlines the key goals and outcomes that stakeholders expect, along with their estimated completion dates, providing a clear and actionable plan for achieving them.

Factors to Consider:

  • What are the most important things to accomplish first and so on from a business, customer, etc. perspective?

Phase:

  • Pre-Kickoff
  • After completion of a goal
  • A significant business event

Measurement:

  • Monthly


Release

Function:

Moving functionality into the production environment.

Factors to Consider:

  • How will this affect production?
  • Has the work in question been tested from a scenario, exploratory, function and unit test perspective (solution restraints and requirements will dictate testing requirements and methodologies.)

Phase:

  • Scenario, Functional, Unit Testing is planned during Epic and Job Story creation

Measurement:

  • Bugs
  • Usage
  • Business Impact


Epics (Features)

Function:

Solution features are a Solution’s traits or attributes that deliver value to people. It’s functionality that fulfills a customer’s need. The Solution Architect or Solution Owner uses Epics in to define features. They are comprised of many steps that make up the value being delivered.

Factors to Consider:

  • Remaining Story Points
  • Story Points to hours
  • How this will help achieve the desired goal
  • Who earns the most value from this functionality
  • How unknowns and outstanding issues affect this outcome
  • Third-Parties
  • Story Points to hours
  • Priority

Phase:

  • Backlog Management
  • Evaluate before the start of any sprint (if items from epic are included)

Measurement:

  • Days remaining
  • Bugs
  • Usage
  • Business Impact


Job Stories ∓ Enabler Tasks

Function:

Break down features into smaller bitesize chunks to be delivered in 1 to 5 days. Anything longer should be broken down into smaller pieces. To determine days the team uses Story Points (SP) to estimate (1 = up to 1/2 day, 3 = up to 1 day, 5 = up to 3 days, 8 = up to 5 days)

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