After the Business Context is presented and has provided the basis for PI Planning in the Scaled Agile Framework in the PI Planning Agenda, the Product and Solution Vision is the second event that follows.

Contents

What is Product and Solution Vision?
How is a Product and Solution Vision Presented?
How to Prepare for the Product and Solution Vision in 16 Steps
Kendis Tips for Presenting the Product and Solution Vision

What is Product and Solution Vision?

The Product and Solution Vision aims to highlight the future state of one or multiple solutions that are under development during the Program Increment (PI) and how they will meet the end user’s needs. This meeting is mainly conducted by Product Managers who talk about their Products, Features, and any enhancements that need to be made to the Products. Also, the Milestones they hope will be executed and achieved by the teams in the upcoming PI or the quarter. It is essential to transparently share the vision for the Product or Solution as frequent changes are likely to be made if it is not communicated.

How is the Product and Solution Vision Presented?

The duration of the Product and Solution Vision is generally an hour and a half. A slide deck should be prepared for the entire discussion. The Product and Solution Vision can be presented by one or several product managers. They provide an overview of the product, that covers the features, enhancements, or dependencies that are relevant to the product, and what their objectives are.

Presenting the product and solution vision is a balancing act for conveying the right information. More often than not, product managers talk through every single feature that is required to be implemented in the upcoming PI, which can be considered as providing too much information for the session. The discussions should be kept at a level that engages everyone and should be centered on the product so that everyone has an idea about what is being discussed without going into too much detail. If some features need extra discussion or explanation, there is no harm in going forward and talking about it but it is important to ensure that those discussions remain aligned with the product and easily understood by everyone in the room.

After providing an overview of the product, the Product Managers talk about the milestones, objectives, and goals that need to be achieved and those that may not be completed in the scope of this increment. The scope of the development is discussed and how the product’s development will benefit the organization.

How to Prepare for the Product and Solution Vision in 16 Steps?

Below you will find Kendis’s list of recommended activities to help prepare for presenting the Product and Solution Vision.

1. Prepare a slide deck
2. Have an abstract view of what is going to be presented
3. Highlight new functionalities or enhancements that need to be implemented
4. If possible try to relate the vision to the business context to create a flow of information
5. Talk about the product, but do not go in-depth talking about each feature
6. Try to avoid having a long list of features to discuss. If you do have a long list of features, categorize features within the product
7. Manage time to discuss features that have more complexity
8. Decide the order for the unprioritized features with the teams along with the product manager
9. If known, talk about the teams that may be involved
10. Identify external dependencies with vendors or environments
11. Identify the objectives or goals that need to be achieved in the upcoming increment or quarter as this will help to link their product to the strategic themes
12. If there are features that are relevant to the milestones, make sure they are highlighted
13. Know the complete scope of the milestones
14. Prioritize the features that are going to be part of the milestone
15. Collaborate with all the product managers and any other areas impacted by your product
16. Remember one person may not know all the ins and outs of the developmental work being done so it is better to let each product manager talk about specific products during the presentation

Kendis Tips for Presenting the Product and Solution Vision

Once you have prepared for the Product and Solution Vision, on the day itself, this is how you can ensure to have an effective presentation.

• Make sure that you’re audible, as the content you are showing will set the context of the PI
• Provide a brief introduction about yourself
• Present your slides
• Introduce the product and its importance and benefits to the customer or organization and how their efforts will contribute towards the increment or quarter
• Talk about what is specific to this PI Planning
• Tell them what we are hoping to achieve in the next quarter
• Provide a categorized list of features that would keep everyone engaged and understand on the higher level of its importance
• Talk about the goals or milestones that need to be achieved for the product
• Speak with confidence and be positive remembering the people are here to reach the goals that you yourself set
• Prepare time for questions and answers
• Make sure to keep to the suggested time so it does not affect or delay the time for future activities that are part of the PI Planning agenda

Presenting the Product and Solution Vision in PI Planning in the Scaled Agile Framework

Conveying the vision is not a one time occurrence. Rather there are events throughout the lifecycle of the PI or quarter, such as PI Planning, System Demos, team sync ups and various discussions that ensure the developmental work is aligned with the vision set.

The beauty of a good Product and Solution Vision presentation lies in how the information is communicated and understood to suit the needs of all the stakeholders hailing from different backgrounds or technologies. The emphasis of the Product and Solution Vision shall always be on establishing a clear path ahead for the future of the Program Increment or quarter and transparently conveying all the milestones that need to be achieved. It provides a platform for everyone to bind to a shared goal and properly channel all the developmental work to provide consistent value.

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