How to create an Agile project plan for software development

There’s a quote along the lines of, “failing to plan is planning to fail,” which gets variously attributed to folks like Ben Franklin, John Wooden, Winston Churchill, and others. The thing is, they’re all right — it’s way better to have a plan than to simply hope for the best.

If you’re using Agile methodology for your next software development project, having a plan can also prevent you from leaving critical decisions for your future self to make (read: project chaos).

Want to learn how to create an Agile project plan? Our guide explores the core concepts, benefits, and step-by-step process to boost efficiency and collaboration in your next kickoff. (Don’t worry, we’ll explain all the fancy Agile jargon.)

What is Agile project planning?

Agile project planning is a component of Agile project management. This method uses a flexible and iterative way to break a project into manageable parts and keep improving the plan by getting regular feedback and working with others. 

The Agile planning process adopts a unique structure called a “planning onion” to visualize its many layers. Let’s explore each one:

• Vision: A project plan for Agile software development begins with the definition of the “why” behind your project and the problem it aims to solve. This step focuses on the overall goals and objectives rather than detailed requirements.
• Roadmap: After defining the vision, you outline the project’s major milestones, the sequence of key features or functionalities to deliver, and rough timeframes.
• Release plan: Before each development cycle, you outline functionalities to deliver in the coming weeks or months. This step considers dependencies between features and sets realistic development timelines.
• Iteration: Traditional project management has stages. Agile breaks work down into short, time-bound cycles called sprints. They typically last 1-4 weeks, and you plan specific tasks for that period.
• Daily stand-ups: In 15-minute meetings, your team shares progress, identifies roadblocks, and adjusts plans as needed.

Related: A guide to the Agile development lifecycle

Why you need an Agile software development project plan

When you create an Agile project plan for software development, you can expect these benefits:

• Reduced upfront planning overhead: Agile lets you avoid a lot of planning in advance to focus on what matters most — getting a minimum-viable product (MVP) into your users’ hands sooner. This streamlined approach frees up valuable resources within your development team.
• Early issue identification: Lengthy development cycles can lead to nasty surprises down the road. Agile’s frequent testing and delivery cycles allow you to detect problems in advance, enabling problem-solving in your team and reducing the risk of major setbacks.
• Increased adaptability: An Agile project plan empowers your team to adjust priorities quickly, keeping you in sync with the dynamic changes in the software development market. This flexibility ensures your application stays relevant and meets the evolving needs of your users.
• Improved collaboration: According to a study by PwC, 70% of executives from Agile enterprises with high-performing product teams agree that IT professionals and lines of business in their organizations must work together. This methodology encourages open communication and transparency during development, bringing the team together to work toward a shared vision.

Related: How Mural supports Agile, from learning to development

Agile project planning steps

Follow these six essential steps to create an Agile project plan for your software development:

1. Enable collaborative goal-setting

Setting clear goals should be your first Agile project planning step. Why? It puts everyone on the same page for iterative development and adaptation. So gather your Agile team for a brainstorming meeting and identify the main objectives. Some questions to get started:

• What problem are you solving for the ideal user?
• If you could only deliver three features in the first iteration, what would be the must-haves to create a positive first impression?
• Looking a year ahead, what are the biggest opportunities you anticipate in the market?

Use a program increment (PI) planning template to encourage open discussion and documentation of goals, features, risks, and opportunities. Agile software development project plan templates provide frameworks for setting high-level goals and breaking them into actionable milestones. Use them to define your user personas and to assess your vision against competitors.

Related: Pave the way to a successful strategy with product KPIs

2. Create a product roadmap

Think of your product roadmap as a visual guide to your long-term development journey. It outlines key deliverables, features, and timelines to guide the project effectively. This step should be collaborative, incorporating input from the product owner, developers, and key stakeholders.

The product roadmap also helps you prioritize features based on their strategic importance and market needs. Remember: Like everything in Agile project management methodology, this structure isn’t set in stone. As you gather feedback on your prototype and learn more about the users, you can adapt the framework to deliver the most valuable features at the right time.

Related: The 5 steps to creating a resilient product roadmap

3. Make your Agile meetings truly Agile

Are you still having meetings with long presentations and boring monologues? Please, don’t do this to yourself — or your team members. Enjoy our checklist to make your daily standups and sprint planning efficient, focused, and collaborative:

Checklist for (truly) Agile meetings

• Start on time with an ice breaker to set the mood
• Use an online whiteboard to share the goals for the day
• If the team is hybrid or remote, integrate virtual meeting tools‍
• Encourage collaboration with interactive tools like voting and commenting
• Use a daily scrum meeting template to streamline the workflow
• Clearly define the next steps and set deadlines
• Respect time limits — please cut the blah blah blah

Related: How to run efficient Agile meetings [+ templates]

4. Manage your product backlog

A product backlog is a catalog of tasks, features, and requirements that you need to address during a software development project. An effective backlog helps you break down features into user stories. These stories are smaller, easier tasks that show a single part of functionality from the end user's point of view. An example of a user story could be: "'As a user, I need to receive notifications on my mobile device to stay updated on account activity." This story and tasks like integrating push notifications would be part of your product backlog.

Best practices to keep your backlog on track include:

• Prioritizing features: Focus on value delivered to users and business goals.
• Embracing INVEST: Use high-quality stories that are Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimatable, Small, and Testable.
• Refining your backlog: Keep your project team updated with the most valuable tasks.
  

5. Monitor your project progress

Regularly revisiting your plan and incorporating feedback is crucial for success — and it saves you from the panic of having work-in-progress everywhere. This step involves user testing, sprint review meetings, and ongoing communication with product managers and business leaders.

The main goal of tracking your progress is to present the functionalities, features, or user stories that your team has completed. Agile project planning software can help you organize all your next steps in one place. By collecting feedback on your work done, you improve project efficiency and refine future iterations.

Related: The 13 best Agile project management tools 

6. Run a sprint retrospective

A sprint retrospective is a valuable opportunity to discuss what went well, your team’s challenges, and how you can improve processes for the upcoming sprint. Retrospectives help you:

• Detect communication gaps
• Assess project efficiency
• Brainstorm solutions
• Optimize your workflow
• Make a truce with those you argued with

Use Mural’s online retrospective board and keep your team aligned, motivated, and effective in achieving project goals.

Start your project plan for Agile software development with Mural

With Mural, your product strategy runs smoothly at every step of the software development lifecycle. Our Agile project management software lets you strategize, brainstorm with your team, assign tasks, and track progress in one visual collaboration workspace.

Streamline your planning workflows and processes with our library of Agile templates, and encourage the team to add notes, stickers, and images to your boards. Mural integrates with Jira and Azure DevOps for two-way synchronization, so you can visualize your sprints, dependencies, and backlog in real time, keeping everyone on the same page.

‍Start creating your Agile project plan for software development with Mural. Sign up for free.