The alchemy of turning ideas into tangible achievements
Planning & Estimating
Training
Stop guessing. Clarity in planning. Confidence in delivery.
Beginner
1 day
online or at your office
About
In a nutshell
What is this training actually about?
Agile Planning & Estimating is about making reliable delivery decisions amid uncertainty. Many teams either overcommit and miss deadlines or undercommit and lose opportunities. Estimates feel arbitrary, release plans shift unexpectedly, and stakeholders lose confidence in forecasts.
It’s very important to addresses that gap. Teams need to learn how to:
- create meaningful estimates (using points, ideal time, and practical estimation techniques)
- plan iterations and releases realistically
- forecast delivery based on data, not optimism
- align scope, capacity, and business priorities
The goal is not to predict the future perfectly. The goal is to make informed commitments, reduce delivery risk, and increase trust in planning decisions.
In short: Better planning. Clearer forecasts. More predictable outcomes.
Common situations
when this training is needed
When delivery dates are constantly shifting
Plans exist - but forecasts don’t hold.
When estimates feel arbitrary or politically driven
Numbers are given. Confidence is missing.
When teams overcommit and burn out
Optimism replaces capacity awareness.
When stakeholders don’t trust delivery forecasts
Expectations are set - then repeatedly adjusted.
When release planning is reactive
Scope changes are handled - but not strategically evaluated.
When long-term initiatives feel hard to manage
Complex projects move forward without clear forecasting logic.
When capacity planning is unclear
Work is assigned - but resource allocation lacks transparency.
When planning sessions are long, yet alignment is weak
Discussions increase. Predictability doesn’t.
Benefits for the team
What improvements can the team expect
More reliable delivery forecasts
Commitments are based on data and capacity - not optimism.
Better scope-time-capacity alignment
Teams understand trade-offs and make conscious planning decisions.
Stronger stakeholder trust
Clearer forecasts reduce surprises and improve expectation management.
Improved long-term initiative control
Complex projects are managed with structured release planning and visibility.
Reduced confusion caused by different interpretations
Teams use practical estimation techniques with shared logic and consistency.
Clear iteration and release planning
Sprints and releases are planned with a realistic workload and defined goals.
Improved capacity awareness
Workload matches available time and skills.
Reduced over commitment
Teams commit with confidence - and deliver accordingly.
Data-informed planning decisions
Velocity and historical data support future forecasts.
Learning objectives
Download the complete learning outcomes and agenda to evaluate whether this training fits your team’s needs.
• The Agile approach to planning
• Why planning in Agile is different from traditional planning
• Levels of Agile planning: Release, Sprint, and Daily planning
• The relationship between planning, estimation, and delivery
• Planning in uncertain and dynamic environments
• What does estimation mean in Agile
• Why estimation is challenging
• The difference between estimation and commitment
• When teams should estimate and re-estimate
• Estimation as a tool for better forecasting
• What Story Points are and why they are used
• Differences between Story Points and ideal days
• Relative vs absolute estimation
• Understanding relative sizing in Agile teams
• Practical approaches to estimating work
• Using estimation techniques to improve accuracy
• Collaborative estimation within teams
• Applying estimation techniques in different planning levels
• Purpose and structure of Sprint Planning
• Preparing backlog items for sprint planning
• Two approaches to sprint planning
• Aligning team capacity with sprint goals
• Understanding team velocity
• Using historical data for forecasting
• Predicting delivery timelines
• Working with new teams without historical data
• The purpose of release planning
• Planning releases based on team velocity
• Predicting delivery scope and timelines
• Different release planning strategies
What to expect
Training format and details
FORMAT
Online or onsite – depending on team needs
DURATION
1 day
WHO IS IT FOR
For teams already working with Scrum or Agile - developers, Scrum Masters, product owners, and team leads who want to move from guessing to making real, data-informed delivery decisions.
FAQ
FAQ
The course is designed for beginners and teams with basic Agile exposure. You don’t need any more knowledge – but familiarity with sprint-based work will help you get the most out of it.
Entirely hands-on. Sessions are designed as interactive workshops, not lectures. Your team will work through real planning scenarios, not just listen to theory.
After completing the training, your team will be able to create meaningful estimates, plan sprints and releases realistically, forecast delivery based on actual data and velocity, and align scope with capacity and business priorities.
Yes, that’s exactly what this training addresses. Whether estimates feel arbitrary, politically driven, or simply inconsistent across the team – the course gives everyone a shared logic and practical techniques to make estimates more reliable.
Directly. One of the core outcomes is building stronger stakeholder trust through clearer, data-backed forecasts – so expectations are set once and adjusted far less often.
Yes. Like all our courses, this training can be tailored to your team’s real challenges, tools, and workflow – so the examples and exercises reflect your actual environment, not generic case studies.