End of the Preceding Year (Q4)
Early Q4 (Weeks 1-4)
- Product Management: Start by defining high-level goals for the upcoming year and breaking those down into quarterly objectives.
- Stakeholders: Offer feedback and input on the high-level yearly goals and the proposed quarterly breakdown.
Mid Q4 (Weeks 5-8)
- Product Management: Finalize feature requirements for Q1 of the upcoming year.
- Design Team: Start working on low-fidelity prototypes or wireframes for Q1 features.
- Development Team: Engage in technical feasibility discussions based on the provided wireframes and requirements.
Late Q4 (Weeks 9-12)
- Design Team: Refine and finalize the designs for the first feature set of Q1.
- Product Management: Continue grooming and prioritizing the backlog for Q1. Ensure all documentation is clear and detailed.
- Development Team: Set up necessary environments, tools, or databases in preparation for Q1. They can also begin preliminary tasks if designs are ready.
Start of the New Year (Q1)
Sprint 1 (Weeks 1-2)
- Development Team: Begin building the first feature set based on the already finalized designs and requirements from Q4 of the preceding year.
- Design Team: Work on designs for the subsequent features of Q1.
- Product Management: Monitor the sprint’s progress, ensure alignment with the vision, and continue backlog grooming for later sprints.
Sprint 2 (Weeks 3-4)
- Development Team: Continue or wrap up the first feature set and possibly start on the next one if the designs are ready.
- Design Team: Finalize designs for the next feature set and start on designs for Q2.
- QA Team: Begin preliminary testing of the completed features, if any.
Continuing through the Year
- Sprint cycles continue similarly, with the Development Team working based on designs and requirements from the preceding quarter.
- Design Team is always a quarter ahead in terms of design preparations.
- Product Management continues to gather requirements, refine the backlog, and set directions for upcoming quarters.
- QA Team tests the features, provides feedback, and ensures quality before releases.