Agile Planning Onion
Onion model for agile planning levels.
PURPOSE
Agile teams often plan only at the sprint level and lose sight of overarching strategic goals. The Agile Planning Onion maps planning activities to different time horizons and creates coherence between vision and daily work. It helps find the right planning depth for each level.
HOW TO USE
Teams use the onion model to assign their planning activities to various levels: from daily standup level through sprint and release planning to strategy and vision. Appropriate planning horizons and methods are defined for each level. The model is regularly consulted to ensure operational planning and strategic alignment remain consistent.
WHAT IT IS
The Agile Planning Onion is a visual model representing planning levels in concentric layers. From inside out, it encompasses: Daily, Iteration, Release, Product, Portfolio, and Strategy. The framework illustrates that agile planning is not just short-term but spans all time horizons.
EXAMPLE
Example: Your Scrum team plans only sprint by sprint and wonders why after a year the product doesn't fit the company strategy. The Agile Planning Onion shows you the different planning levels – from daily stand-up planning to vision. This connects your sprint planning with quarterly and annual planning to establish strategic coherence.