VAMFI Delivery Plan and Roadmap
Produce a realistic, phased delivery plan with milestones, dependencies, and a critical path analysis. Ground estimates in scope and team capacity, not wishful thinking.
Overview
A delivery plan is not a Gantt chart — it is a set of commitments backed by explicit assumptions about scope, team, and risk. This skill produces a plan that delivery teams can execute and sponsors can track.
Delivery Planning Process
Step 1: Define Phases and Objectives
Structure the delivery into phases where each phase delivers standalone business value:
| Phase | Name | Objective | Duration | Entry Criteria | Exit Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Foundations | Enable delivery | 2 weeks | Kick-off complete | Environments ready |
| 1 | MVP | Core capability live | 6 weeks | Phase 0 exit criteria met | P0 features in production |
| 2 | Enhancement | Full feature set | 8 weeks | Phase 1 exit criteria met | All MoSCoW Must Haves live |
Step 2: Define Milestones and Gates
For each phase, define:
- Milestone: a specific, verifiable event (not "nearly done")
- Gate criteria: the binary conditions that must be met to pass the gate
- Gate owner: who makes the go/no-go decision
Step 3: Identify Dependencies
Map dependencies between work streams:
- Internal: between teams or squads in this engagement
- External: third-party APIs, platform team deliverables, client sign-offs
- Regulatory: compliance approvals, penetration tests, audits
Dependency table:
| Dependency | Type | Provider | Required by | Risk if Late |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [item] | Internal/External/Regulatory | [who] | [date/milestone] | [impact] |
Step 4: Critical Path Analysis
Identify the longest chain of dependent tasks — this is the critical path. Delays on the critical path delay the project; delays off the critical path may have float.
Produce a simple critical path diagram:
Phase 0 (2w) → Phase 1 API (3w) → Phase 1 Frontend (3w) → Phase 1 Go-Live
↗ (Phase 1 API must complete first)
Phase 1 Data Migration (4w) — CRITICAL PATH
Step 5: Risk Register
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Risk Score | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [risk] | H/M/L | H/M/L | H/M/L | [action] | [name] |
Flag critical path risks specifically — these are the ones that will delay the whole programme.
Step 6: Resource Plan
| Role | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Lead | 1 FTE | 1 FTE | 0.5 FTE |
| Engineers | 2 FTE | 3 FTE | 2 FTE |
| QA | 0.5 FTE | 1 FTE | 1 FTE |
Roadmap Output Format
Produce:
- Phase table with objectives, duration, and gate criteria
- Milestone timeline (text-based:
Week 1: X | Week 3: Y | Week 6: Z) - Dependency table
- Critical path diagram
- Risk register
- Resource plan
Additional Resources
references/estimation-techniques.md— T-shirt sizing, story points, and reference class forecastingassets/delivery-plan-template.md— Blank delivery plan template