DOPE Planning

On October 3-4, 2024, the Product Heroes Conference took place in Milan, a key event for professionals in the world of product management. Among the many valuable talks, one of the most engaging was delivered by Giovanni Ravone, Chief Product Officer at Satispay, titled "Make Planning DOPE Again." 

 

The Limits of Traditional Planning

 

Ravone began by highlighting the issues with traditional planning, often a static process disconnected from day-to-day operations. Planning at the start of a quarter or year leads to execution disruptions and reduces flexibility. Moreover, ideas are confined to specific timeframes, hindering continuous innovation. 

 

The Solution: DOPE Planning

 

Ravone's proposed solution is DOPE Planning, an approach that makes planning more dynamic and continuous. The framework is divided into four phases: 

 

• DONE (Completed)
• ONGOING (In Progress)
• PREPARING (In Preparation)
• EXPLORING (In Exploration)

 

This method allows for better visualization and management of progress, making planning more flexible and responsive. The core idea is to maintain planning as a continuous process closely connected to product development stages, improving transparency with leadership and across teams. 

According to Ravone, this approach helps product teams move faster and respond more effectively to change while making product documentation more accessible to non-technical stakeholders. 

As we at CloudPhoenix are always on the lookout for new ideas and innovative solutions, we’re excited to try out DOPE Planning on some of our new projects!