Assignment – Week 7
1. What is the purpose of product and portfolio roadmaps? Who creates them? Who
needs them and why?
Product and portfolio roadmaps are tactical instruments that convey a products or a collection
of products' vision, direction, and development across time. They assist in coordinating the
objectives, dependencies, and priorities of the product development process among the teams,
customers, and stakeholders. Along the way, they offer a framework for decision-making and
trade-off assessment [1].
Product managers and owners who are well-versed on consumer demands, industry trends,
and rivalry are usually the ones who draft product roadmaps. To get input and confirm
presumptions, they work in tandem with engineers, designers, marketers, and executives,
among others. Product roadmaps are meant for internal and external audiences, including
consumers, investors, partners, and senior management, who are interested in or have an
impact on the success of the product.
Portfolio roadmaps are like product roadmaps, but they focus on a higher level of abstraction
and a longer time horizon. They show how multiple products or product lines fit together to
achieve the strategic objectives of the organization. They are usually created by portfolio
managers or product leaders who have a holistic view of the market opportunities, customer
segments, and business goals. They coordinate with product managers and other stakeholders
to align the portfolio vision, scope, and roadmap. Portfolio roadmaps are for internal audiences
who need to understand the big picture and the interdependencies of the products, such as
executives, board members and cross-functional. [2]
2. Identify different levels of planning in a lean and agile enterprise. Explain briefly what
those levels are and what is planned in each level.
Agile planning is an ongoing process that helps teams to provide their clients with value in a
flexible and iterative manner. There are five stages to the planning process, each with a distinct
focus and time frame. The team establishes the goal and course of their product or service at
the first level, known as the vision, and ties it in line with the organization's values and strategy.
The goal ought to be motivating, precise, and succinct.
The second level Is the roadmap, Ih Identifies major features and milestones that will help the
team achieve its vision. The roadmap provides a high-level overview of the product or service’s
evolution over time, responding to changing customer needs and market conditions. It should
be flexible, realistic, and prioritized.
The third level is the release, where the team decides what features and functionality they will
deliver in each release cycle, which is a fixed time. The release plan should balance scope,
quality, and time, based on the roadmap, customer feedback, and team capacity.
The fourth level is iteration, where the team breaks down the release plan into smaller and
more manageable chunks of work called iterations or sprints. The iteration plan should be
based on the release plan, team velocity, and user stories, and should be collaborative,
transparent, and adaptable.
The team organizes their daily tasks and tracks their progress toward their iteration goals in the
daily plan, which is the last level. Every day, the team has a stand-up meeting where they
discuss their plans, obstacles, and progress. The daily plan need to be clear, succinct, and
encouraging, and it ought to be based on the task board, burndown chart, and iteration plan.
Teams may continuously provide value to their clients, adjust to changing conditions, and
gradually improve their processes by adhering to these five stages of agile planning.
3. Read what different scaled (and non-scaled) agile frameworks/approaches have to say
about product and/or portfolio management and compare them between each other.
What notable differences did you find between the approaches? It is enough to
compare here the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) and
Kanban
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS), and Kanban represent three
widely used methodologies for expanding agile methodologies in the realm of product and/or
portfolio management. While they share commonalities, each approach has distinctive features
that allow organizations to choose the most suitable one based on their unique context and
objectives.
SAFe presents a comprehensive framework for portfolio management, encompassing three
levels: portfolio vision, portfolio strategy, and portfolio execution. The portfolio vision
delineates the organization's strategic goals and objectives, while the portfolio strategy outlines
the initiatives and themes to achieve them. The portfolio execution level involves prioritizing
and sequencing initiatives, resource allocation, and progress monitoring [3].
LeSS, on the other hand, extends the principles of Scrum to the enterprise context in a
straightforward manner. Starting with a single scrum team as the foundation, LeSS scales up to
multiple teams collaborating on a single product. LeSS offers two configurations: Basic LeSS for
two to eight teams and LeSS Huge for more than eight teams. While retaining many practices
from a single-team scrum, such as a unified product backlog, a single definition of done, one
product owner, and a single sprint, LeSS introduces modifications like overall sprint planning,
coordination mechanisms, overall product backlog refinement, and feature teams [4].
Kanban places a strong emphasis on continuous improvement and delivery based on a flow-
centric approach. It advocates for a pull-based portfolio management approach where
initiatives are selected based on their value, feasibility, and the organization's capacity to
deliver them. The portfolio board, which visually represents the status of initiatives, should be
continually updated to reflect progress, identify bottlenecks, and facilitate ongoing
improvement [5].
In summary, SAFe, LeSS, and Kanban offer distinct approaches to scaling agile practices in
product and/or portfolio management. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses,
contingent on factors such as the organization's size, complexity, and culture. Prior to adoption,
organizations should assess their specific needs and objectives to determine the most
appropriate approach for their circumstances.
4. What would you like to know more about Agile Product and Portfolio Management?
• How do you negotiate with clients and customers for delayed deadlines?
• How is a software product priced, what are the market forces driving it?
• What is your go to method for prioritizing product features, considering different
kinds of requirements such as Functional, Non-functional, technical debts etc.?
References
1. Atlassian. “Product Roadmaps.” Atlassian, [Link]
management/product-roadmaps.
2. Hojda, Vanessa. “Product Roadmap: The 2023 Guide [with Examples].” Roadmunk,
Product Management Resources | Roadmunk, 10 Mar. 2023,
[Link]
3. Author Richard Knaster -, et al. “Lean Portfolio Management.” Scaled Agile Framework,
14 Mar. 2023, [Link]
4. “Less Framework.” Large Scale Scrum (LeSS), [Link]
5. “What Is Portfolio Kanban? Advanced Kanban Implementations.” Kanban Software for
Agile Project Management, [Link]
kanban/what-is-portfolio-kanban.