By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail. -Benjamin Franklin
Development Principles:
Plan Before Acting
Plan Before Acting
Whenever possible, work to be done should be planned out before starting development. If questions exist, such as feasibility, fitness for purpose, or others, investigation should be undertaken before initiating development. In general, the more information that can be gleaned before starting development, the more successful the project will be.
During the Sprint cycle, planning the work needed for a User Story is especially important.
80% Rule
It is tempting to hold development until all possible questions have been answered and all possible information has been obtained.
However, this can lead to projects never being started because the investigation phase runs on interminably.
The 80% rule says that once 80% of the information has been obtained or 80% of the questions have been answered, development can
begin.
Task Breakdown
Task breakdown is a key planning activity. Each task should be granular and detailed. While the level of detail can vary, a good rule of thumb is that another developer should be able to action the ticket. The details should include the expected implementation strategy and key items that need to be considered.