HKSM
Conduct Release Planning
A Scrum Core Team reviews high-level user stories in the Prioritized Product Backlog to craft a phased release plan that stakeholders can understand and align with. During this planning, the team also sets the sprint length to establish cadence. Any disagreements are addressed using conflict management techniques so the team can reach decisions and move forward.
Key Points
- Assess high-level user stories in the Prioritized Product Backlog to define release scope and sequencing.
- Create a stakeholder-facing release roadmap that shows phased deployments and target time frames.
- Decide and communicate the sprint length to set a consistent iteration cadence.
- Apply conflict management methods to resolve disagreements and build team alignment.
Example
A Scrum Core Team at a healthcare startup reviews the prioritized backlog and groups epics into three releases over the next two quarters. They agree on two-week sprints, map dependencies to ensure a safe rollout of patient features, and use mediation to settle a dispute between product and engineering about which API work belongs in Release 1.
PMP Example Question
Which activity best describes what happens during Conduct Release Planning?
- Assigning daily tasks to developers for the upcoming sprint
- Approving a production deployment after acceptance testing
- Building a phased release roadmap from high-level backlog items and agreeing on sprint length
- Recording impediments and status in the Daily Scrum
Correct Answer: C — Building a phased release roadmap and setting sprint cadence
Explanation: Conduct Release Planning focuses on sequencing high-level backlog items into a stakeholder-ready release plan and determining sprint length; task assignments, deployments, and daily status are handled in other events.
