Agile Project Plan Template Excel

Agile is an advanced project management approach used for the effective management of projects. It’s especially helpful for software development projects.

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It is different from traditional project management techniques. The more common is related to the level of details, feature-based nature, and ownership by the team.

Traditionally, project plans are consisting of a list of tasks, task durations, and dependencies. These plans are typically based on the assumptions made by the project managers and project teams. However, these plans include predictions about everything about the activities, durations, and responsible persons.

Agile Project Plan

An agile project plan refers to a methodology that evaluates iterations or sprints about how much they can do work by utilizing these sprints.

Agile planning describes which project task is done by which sprint and helps us to make a repeatable method to complete a task. This method reduces cost and time as well as other working staff can take guidance on how they can accomplish a project task.

On the other hand, the agile project plan template helps the project managers to proceed based on the features of the project. Its key focus is on the delivery of features and the iterative information approach.

In an agile approach, assumptions are made in such a way that we don’t know anything about the situation after a period of time in the future.

However, a good guess is generated about the delivery, depending on the priority matrix of the features. Also, the timeframe is estimated based on the functional ability of the project team.

Benefits of Agile Project Plan

The agile project planning approach is much different from traditional project management techniques. There are a few of the fundamental differences are;

The agile project plan is defining the activities, duration, and dependencies based on the project features. Also, it makes assumptions based on features while the traditional system totally based on the assumption made by the understanding of project managers and project teams.

Secondly, the agile project plan gives detailed information about a short timeframe for which the project team can guess the situation such as 2 to 4 weeks. This iteration is repeated several times over the whole project lifecycle.

Moreover, the work in this iteration period is based on the prioritization of features and functional ability of the project team which is called velocity in agile PM. With time situations, priorities, and project team changes.

However, in a traditional project management approach project managers and teams use all the available resources upfront. Make a detailed project plan forecasting all events and risks in the planning stage.

Elements of Agile Project Plan Template

There are four essential components of the agile project plan template.

The agile project plan template is based on releases and sprints. The release defines the development of new products and the up-gradation of the existing ones. While the iterations of each release are known as sprints. These sprints are based on user stories for a short period of time with detailed information on the work.
User stories are the responsibilities of the project managers and team. The project team contains a list of assigned tasks. For project managers, gives an overview of the performance and alerts of issues.
The agile project plan’s key feature is its iterative and incremental nature. All sprints are of equal length and completed based on the same process. This process helps the team to learn about their velocity, hindrances in progress, and capabilities.
It encourages the project team to actively participate in the project planning and estimation phase.

Phases of Agile Project Plan Template Excel

Here are 7 phases of agile planning that are following;

Identification of Agile Product Vision
Creation of Agile Product Roadmap Plan
Creation of the Agile Release Plan
Making of Plan Agile Sprints
Schedule Daily Agile Scrum Meetings
Agile Iterations Review
Agile Iterations Retrospective

In the first phase of agile planning, we identify product vision and scope and that’s it. The second phase includes the preparation of planning, roadmap, and structure of the work plan. After making a specific roadmap for the agile product, we release the agile plan.

Now, we make agile iteration plans that are known as sprints. These sprints need to improve as we did through conducting meetings with the Scrum Master in the 5th phase of agile planning.

These iterations also need review that is based on user experience. Basically, in which we take reviews from working for staff about this process and evaluate risks and issues that are needed to resolve.

The 7th and last phase of this agile product production plan is based on recycling the process if everything in this plan is working accordingly.

SAP Agile Project Plan

However, a typical SAP project has a complete task list, timeline with starting and deadlines, RACI details, deliverables priorities, and instructions. Now, it’s time to divide this plan into 6 Phases of Sprints, however, all these sprints have their own type of implementation system.

These sprints involved change management, data migration, designing and development, and project infrastructure impact analysis results.

Change Management

This phase is necessary for all kinds of a new system that involves direct or indirect change. As we know, human nature opposes change but here we implement change by managing user conflicts. So, we set Standard Operating Procedures for users to adopt change and avoid problems.

Data Migration

After setting up the new system, it’s time for data migration. Because we need all data from the previous system. SAP modules and their coding is also part of this phase.

Designing and Development

This phase involves designing the map of the project work. Basically, we design a new timeline of project work for the new system here. After that, we run those tests on this new system that has been conducted on a previous system with the same specification.

Infrastructure

This phase involves purchasing equipment and other resources to set conditions for conducting and running tests. Installation of security measures is also part of this phase.

Impact Analysis

This is the core phase for a new system that helps to figure out its requirements and specifications. This also helps in resolving issues that may arise in this system transition process.

Agile Project Scheduling Plan

Here we discuss the complete process of Agile project schedule planning, that will help you to make an agile project plan. There are 8 steps in this agile schedule plan that are following:

Discussion on NEEDS

This first step addresses the goals, procedural needs to make the product dedicatedly user-friendly, and discussion on customer needs and requirements.

Detailing

In this step, we focus on product features & factors, dependencies, manufacturing requirements, and other risk factors that can affect the product delivery process. However, it is recommended to plan those features that have high value with high risk.

Planning Work Required

This step is important because this step is based on team morale and the work progress speed of old sprints. We can join a team in every sprint. Although, keep in mind the current work hierarchy, problems, and available resources.

Stories, Epics & Initiatives

Stories: These are the limited requirements that are planned according to full fill end-user requirements.

Epics: This refers to bigger work that is broken down into small pieces of tasks.

Initiatives: Refers to drafting all epics that have similar goals.

Iteration

It refers to specific work and tasks planned and deployed for a limited time period. All tasks and work have due dates that must be followed. In a SAF structure, iterations refer to building blocks for Agile development.

Adding Stories in Iteration

We need to add user stories to help it gain high-level capacity.

Adding Extra Iterations

You have to add extra iterations to cover all user stories or to overcome less-priority user stories. This step helps you to evaluate the product release time frame.

Plan Sharing

In the last step, we share our plan with team members, clients, customers, and stakeholders and get their feedback, suggestion, etc.

Sprint Planning Process – Agile Project Plan

Here is another planning process that defines the Agile team plan for a new Sprint. There are 8 steps that are following:

Old Meeting Records

In this step, we conduct a meeting on old sprint and their strategies, outcomes, and lesson learned. This helps to break inertia.

Conducting Sprint Plan Meeting

From this meeting, we analyze and gain data that helps us to make a product release plan and updates on the previous sprint, any changes that are needed, adding new features, etc.

User Stories Detailing

Always focus on User stories detailing that helps to make plan or task better and according to user requirements.

Breakdown User Stories Tasks

Now it’s time to break down user stories into small pieces of tasks.

Assigning Tasks

After making tasks now you can assign them to team members and set rules and RACI.

Write Down the Tasks

Scrum master writes down the task list on a big screen whiteboard where all team members can watch them. However, the current sprint includes the latest user stories that must be top of the line.

Task Progress Tracking

Now, it’s time to track progress on the task. Each team member will submit their daily task report to the scrum master. Or update on any progress tracking template. After that scrum master will analyze how the task is completed, right or wrong, in time or not.

Tracking with Burndown Chart

A Burndown chart helps to show how much time and resources have been consumed and remaining, task status, behind the schedule or ahead, etc.

Create an Agile Project Plan in Excel Template

It is easy to use an Agile excel project plan template in which you can insert your project plan data and monitor progress. Although, its excel template produced a Gantt chart that is based on your Agile project plan.

Here are a few details that you must insert excel datasheet:

Project Name: Here you must give a specific name or any identification number.
Sprint: Put Sprints in this section.
Tasks: Here you can enter a list of tasks and their relevant details, sub-task, and pending milestones.
Responsible: Set a Person who is responsible to complete this task
Start Date: You have to mention starting Date of the tasks
End Date: Task completion Date here.
Progress: Here you can mention project timeline details.
Status: In this section, you can mention task status or recent activity.
Time Period: Timelines entered in Start Date on the horizontal axis and End Date Columns
Tasks: On Vertical Axis, project tasks, milestones, and project phases can be shown.

Tips To Make an Agile Project Plan

Here are some tips that will help you to make it more simplest way:

Set Project Objectives
Evaluate Project Needs
Make Project Scope
Set Project Task/Phase
Illustrate Dependencies Among Tasks/Phase
Set Due Dates
Fix Project Budget
Create a Project Schedule Plan
Send Plan to top management for Approval

Agile Sprint Plan Template

What is a Sprint Planning Template?

It helps manage sprint meetings, track story points, write user stories, plan workflow, and track progress in one place. A scrum sprint planning template enables agile teams to focus on project goals and meet the due dates.

The sprint planning templates assist product owners and teams to involves in the planning process, progress tracking and setting the level of priorities in making a product.

The basic function of this agile sprint plan template is to manage meetings in all channels, monitor stories, draft user comments and stories, workflow plan, and track product progress on a single platform. However, this tool also enables your agile team to stay along with goals, and objectives and stay within the due dates.