Environment Automation Team

Quarterly planning is used to balance strategic priorities with team capacity. It ensures consistent execution, async alignment, and visibility across stakeholders. Planning starts 4 weeks before the new quarter and includes integrated Epic backlog refinement to ensure execution-ready work items.

Step 1 – Planning Issue Creation (Week –4)

• Owner: Engineering Manager (EM)
• Actions:
  • Create a Quarterly Planning Issue (example: Q4 FY26 Planning).
  • Use this issue for async discussion, links to strategic docs, and final decision logging.
  • Share issue link with PMs, team, and stakeholders.
• Deliverables: Planning issue opened and shared with all stakeholders.

Step 2 – Strategic Input (Weeks –4 to –3)

• Owners: PMs, Company Interlock process
• Actions:
  • PMs regularly update the FY26 Dedicated Stage Roadmap Planning spreadsheet.
  • Company Interlock process provides top-tier initiatives (Interlock Tracker).
  • EA EMs and PM hold a weekly Tuesday conversation to discuss:
    1. Issues-of-the-day
    2. Flags for team awareness
    3. Quarterly planning inputs and updates
• Deliverables: Strategic priorities documented in the planning issue.

Step 3 – Team Planning (Weeks –3 to –1)

• Owners: EMs and Team Members
• Actions:
  • EMs update the EA Continuous Planning Spreadsheet with projects, timeline estimates, and staffing needs.
  • Team members review estimates, flag risks, and surface dependencies.
  • EMs and team use comments in the planning issue to gauge capacity and connect their inputs.
• Deliverables: Draft quarterly execution plan linked in the planning issue.

Step 4 – Epic Backlog Refinement (Weeks –2 to –1)

• Owners: EM + PM with Team Members
• Actions:
  • Take Epics identified for the upcoming quarter from the roadmap planning spreadsheet
  • For each Epic targeted for execution, ensure it contains:
    • MVC Scope clearly defined
    • Business Case / Rationale documented
    • Link to high-level design included
    • Estimated level of complexity assessed with engineering input
  • Move Epics through status progression: Triage → Proposal → Ready
  • Use planning issue comments for Epic refinement discussions and decisions
  • Team members provide technical input on complexity estimates and design feasibility
  • Pull in different stakeholders as necessary to complete Epic information
• Deliverables: Refined Epic backlog with all targeted Epics in “Ready” status for immediate quarter execution.

Step 5 – Finalization (Week 0)

• Owners: EMs with PM + stakeholders
• Actions:
  • Async review in the planning issue.
  • Confirm scope, capacity allocation, and commitments.
  • Verify Epic backlog refinement completion and readiness status.
  • Post summary comment with final decisions, artifacts, and links.
  • EA EMs and PM use the weekly Tuesday conversation to review outstanding issues, flags, and confirm quarterly decisions.
• Deliverables: Locked-in quarterly plan with refined Epic backlog; planning issue closed.

Step 6 – Quarterly Kickoff (Week 1)

• Owners: EMs with PM + stakeholders
• Actions:
  • PM and EMs collaborate on Dedicated Stage Kickoff Presentation (example: FY26Q3 Dedicated Kickoff)
  • PM and EMs fill in previous quarter achievements and next quarter initiatives
  • PMs and EMs record kickoff video and share with the team
  • Engineers can immediately begin work on refined, “Ready” status Epics
• Deliverables: Quarterly kickoff presentation and recorded video for team alignment

Planning Inputs & Sources

• Strategic: Company Interlock Process, PM Roadmap, Customer Commitments
• Operational: KTLO Work, On-call Capacity, Unplanned Work, Engineering Backlog
• Epic-Level: Technical designs, complexity assessments, MVC definitions

Planning Artifacts & Templates

• FY26 Dedicated Stage Roadmap Planning
• Customer Roadmap Presentation
• Company Interlock Tracker
• EA Continuous Planning Spreadsheet
• Epic Refinement Checklist (MVC, Business Case, Design, Complexity)
• Epic Status Tracking (Triage/Proposal/Ready)

Roles & Responsibilities

Success Metrics

• Planning issue closed by Week 0
• Team acknowledges capacity commitments
• Strategic priorities mapped to execution capacity
• Dependencies and risks clearly identified
• All targeted Epics in “Ready” status with complete refinement information
• Balanced allocation: Feature Dev 40–60%, KTLO 20–30%, On-call 15–25%, Engineering 10–15%

Risks & Best Practices

• Assume 10–20% buffer for reactive/unplanned work
• Document discussions inside the planning issue
• Link spreadsheets and roadmaps for traceability
• Review past quarter’s unplanned work
• Balance strategic work with operational requirements
• Complete Epic refinement before quarter start to enable immediate engineering execution
• Ensure Epic complexity estimates include engineering perspective

Backlog Refinement Integration

This quarterly planning process includes integrated Epic backlog refinement during Step 4 (Weeks -2 to -1). The refinement ensures that engineers can quickly get started on an Epic once it’s ready to be picked up during the quarter execution phase.

Having this set of refined epics helps us plan for the upcoming quarter with accurate capacity estimates and allows engineers to immediately begin productive work when the quarter begins, rather than spending time on discovery and scoping activities.