Planning

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Whether it comes naturally or is the result of a concerted effort and process, every [[Systems|system]] plans to achieve the same benefits:

• [[Focus]] on the right priorities.
• Clear Ownership.
• [[Coordination]].
• High shipping velocity.

The goal of planning is to get to a unified and realistic plan for what the system is collectively working towards over a given time horizon. Is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that happens at different levels of granularity.

To help with planning, you should have these things:

• Longterm Vision Statement. Where are you going.
• [[Writing a Roadmap|Roadmap]]. A unified view of what the team is working towards shipping.
• List of options.

No matter what the final plan is, [[Teamwork|document it]] and you’ll have a log of all the plans to reflect back on.

Speed is important. You can build / do things quickly.

1. Make an outline of the project
2. For each item in the outline, make an outline. Do this recursively until the items are small.
3. Fill in/do each item as fast as possible. do not perfect/iterate them as you go.
4. Finally, once completely done, go back and perfect.