Translations:Agile inception deck/5/en

The ten activities

1. Why are we here?

The project's purpose is established. Not what will be built, but why: what problem it solves and for whom.

2. Elevator pitch

The team practices explaining the project in the time it takes an elevator to go up one floor. It forces clarity and the prioritization of the key messages. See Elevator pitch.

3. Product box

The team designs the product's imaginary box: what would go on the cover, what selling points it would include. It helps make the product vision tangible. See Product box.

4. The NOT list

The team explicitly defines what the project will not include. Setting boundaries prevents scope creep and aligns expectations. See NOT list.

5. Meet your neighbors

Team members introduce themselves and share their backgrounds, skills, and expectations. External dependencies are also mapped: other teams, systems, or people that will affect the project.

6. Show the solution

Possible solutions are explored at a high level. It's not a detailed technical design, but a first conversation about the approach.

7. What keeps us up at night?

The team identifies the main risks and concerns. Naming risks out loud is the first step toward managing them.

8. Size it up

The size of the project is estimated and the metrics that will be used to measure success are established.

9. Be clear on what's going to give

Concrete deliverables are agreed: what will be produced, in what format, and to what level of quality.

10. Show what it's going to take

Budget and resource aspects are discussed. It includes an initial cost estimate and the financial constraints.

The inception deck in AI projects

Projects with a generative AI component have particularities that the standard inception deck doesn't explicitly cover. Some adaptations teams are adopting: