Release Planning

Project dependencies are classified at planning as finish-to-start, external, mandatory. The type never changes. The blocker’s age does, and that is what moves the committed date. Read it in days.

A change request prices scope one form at a time, against a baseline that already moved, and much scope never files one. Price every change against the committed date instead, in days.

A project timeline shows the plan the team voted on. After the vote, scope, dependencies and capacity move. Keep the committed date live, in days.

A RAG status reads in a second, but nobody wrote down what amber means. Define each color in days against the committed date and the confidence the team voted at, and let it change when the data does.

A PERT chart puts a probability on a finish date once, from the network known on planning day. Keep that probability live against the committed date, in days.

The critical path method finds the longest chain of dependent work once. After the vote the chain changes. See what that costs the committed date, in days.

A scope statement records what is in and out of a release, once. It never says what an item crossing that line costs your committed release date. How to read that gap, in days, in Jira.

How to run a release planning meeting: who attends, the inputs to bring, a six-step agenda, and the outputs that keep the release date honest after the meeting ends.

A risk register ranks risks by likelihood and impact. It never says how many days a materialising risk costs your committed release date. How to add that number to every review.

A burn up chart shows scope climbing after the confidence vote. It never says what that costs the committed release date in days. Here is how to read both.