Postponed Feature & Reevaluation (Next Sprint)
1. Introduction (For Clients & Partners)
During our Prioritization Ceremony, some features may be postponed (or “deferred”) if they aren’t immediately feasible, lack details, or are lower priority compared to other items. However, postponed doesn’t mean rejected. Instead, the feature remains in our backlog for re-evaluation at a future date, often in the next sprint or next planning cycle. This page outlines how your deferred feature is tracked, re-prioritized, and potentially rescheduled.
2. Who Is Involved
| Role | Involvement | Benefit to You |
|---|---|---|
| Product Owner | Keeps track of postponed features, revisits them in upcoming ceremonies. | Ensures your deferred request doesn’t get lost and is regularly re-checked. |
| Scrum Master | Facilitates the next sprint planning session, ensures the team revisits deferred items. | Helps provide clarity on whether the feature can now be slotted in. |
| Dev Team | Reassesses feasibility, especially if conditions (capacity, details) have changed. | Offers a technical perspective on whether the feature can now be taken on. |
| QA Engineer | Identifies any new testing requirements or risk factors. | Helps confirm readiness from a quality standpoint. |
| Clients/Partners | May supply additional info or updated priorities for the postponed feature. | Ensures your needs are re-evaluated with fresh context. |
3. Process Flow / Schema
The Mermaid diagram below uses double quotes for clarity, showing how a deferred feature gets revisited in the next sprint cycle:
- Feature Deferred: The feature is postponed during prioritization (e.g., not enough capacity, details missing).
- Remains in Backlog: It’s kept in “deferred” status, visible for future sessions.
- Next Sprint or Next Planning Cycle: During the subsequent prioritization or planning event, the team re-checks the feature.
- Reevaluate Conditions: They consider any new info, changing priorities, or resource availability.
- Possible Outcomes:
- Now Feasible: If conditions have changed (e.g., more details provided, more capacity), the feature becomes accepted and marked “Ready” for scheduling.
- Still Blocked: The feature remains deferred until a future cycle.
- No Longer Relevant: If it no longer aligns with strategic goals, it may be rejected.
- Added to Next Sprint Planning: Accepted features join the backlog queue for an upcoming sprint. You’ll be notified if your feature moves forward or remains deferred.
4. Short FAQ
Q1: How do I know if my postponed feature will be re-evaluated?
A1: We revisit deferred items at each Prioritization Ceremony. If your feature meets new criteria (e.g., more details, higher priority), it can be accepted then.
Q2: Can I provide more info before the next sprint?
A2: Absolutely. Additional use cases, technical clarifications, or business impact details can help the team accept the feature sooner.
Q3: What if my deferred feature remains postponed again?
A3: Sometimes items stay deferred for multiple cycles if other priorities consistently rank higher. We keep it in the backlog until it’s either accepted or deemed irrelevant.
Q4: Will I be notified about changes?
A4: Yes, we’ll send you an update if your feature’s status changes (e.g., from deferred to accepted or rejected).
5. Next Steps & Additional Resources
- Quarterly Roadmap: Keep an eye on upcoming features; if your postponed request is accepted, you’ll see it appear here.
- Product Backlog: We track deferred items in the same backlog as accepted features, just with a different status.
- Need More Info?: Ask our chatbot or email
contact+support@aismarttalk.techif you’d like to update details or check on the next reevaluation date.
By revisiting deferred features in subsequent sprints or planning cycles, we maintain a dynamic and responsive approach, ensuring your request isn’t lost and can be accepted once conditions are right.