Initiative Horizon Planning Flashcards

A business analyst is mapping initiatives across three time horizons. Which horizon typically focuses on scaling proven business models?

Answer: Horizon 2

Horizon 2 focuses on emerging opportunities and scaling proven but not yet dominant business models.

During initiative horizon planning, a team identifies a feature that generates 80% of current revenue. Into which horizon does this initiative primarily fall?

Answer: Horizon 1

Horizon 1 contains the core, currently profitable business activities that sustain the organization today.

A product owner wants to add an exploratory R&D effort with a 5–7 year payoff. Which planning tool best supports tracking this alongside shorter-term initiatives?

Answer: Three-horizon model

The three-horizon model explicitly accommodates simultaneous tracking of near-term, mid-term, and long-term initiatives.

When using horizon planning, which factor most influences whether an initiative moves from Horizon 3 to Horizon 2?

Answer: Market validation and early traction

Market validation and early traction signal that a speculative idea has proven enough viability to warrant scaling investment.

A business analyst notices that Horizon 1 initiatives are consuming all sprint capacity, leaving none for Horizon 2 or 3 work. What is the primary risk?

Answer: Strategic stagnation and loss of future competitiveness

Over-investing in Horizon 1 prevents the organization from developing future growth engines, leading to strategic stagnation.

In an Agile BA context, how should initiative horizon planning inform the product roadmap?

Answer: Horizons provide a strategic lens to prioritize and sequence roadmap themes

Horizon planning gives BAs a strategic framework to ensure the roadmap balances current delivery with future growth bets.

Which statement best describes Horizon 3 initiatives in the context of business analysis?

Answer: They are highly speculative, requiring lightweight exploration techniques

Horizon 3 initiatives involve high uncertainty and are best explored through lightweight techniques like experiments, prototypes, and assumption mapping.