1

Create Initial Iteration Plan

• Coordinate with the business analyst to create an initial iteration plan. Obtain the latest prioritized and estimated quality of service requirements list. Work with the business analyst to determine the quality of service requirements that will fit in the iteration plan balancing the rough order of magnitude estimates against the average velocity of the previous iterations; and the scenarios and bug allotments currently scheduled for the iteration.
• Reprioritize and obtain estimates for additional quality of service requirements if necessary to fill in the iteration plan.
• Set the iteration field of the quality of service requirement work item to the upcoming iteration. Save and publish the initial iteration plan. The quality of service requirement is now ready to be written by the business analyst.

2

Adjust the Initial Iteration Plan

• When the development tasks have been added to the iteration plan, ensure that the total cost of the work items in the plan does not exceed the average velocity of the development team.
• If the quality of service requirement is a performance requirement, ensure that the development tasks contain performance budgets.
• If the total work item cost exceeds the budget, move scenarios, quality of service requirements, or bug allotments to the following iteration. Set the iteration field of the work item to that iteration.
• If the cost of the work items is less than the average velocity, consider adding new scenarios, quality of service requirements, or bug allotments to fill in the schedule.

3

Hold Iteration Kickoff Meeting

• Finalize the iteration plan by holding an iteration planning meeting to present the content for the upcoming iteration. This meeting should include all of the members of the team to review the goals of the upcoming iteration.
• Communicate any priorities within the iteration. If a scenario or quality of service requirement is critical, mark it as an exit criteria. Use this mechanism sparingly.
• Any risks within the iteration should be determined such as a dependency on an external resource. If the risk warrants attention, capture it as a risk work item.

The final iteration plan reflects a reviewed and agreed upon set of scenarios, quality of service requirements, tasks, and slack for bug allotments scheduled for the upcoming iteration.