Agile Business Analysis Initiative Horizon Planning 5

Question 1

A BA is running a horizon planning session with a cross-functional team. Which facilitation technique helps the team avoid defaulting all work to Horizon 1?

Accepted Answer

Explicit time-boxing for Horizon 2 and 3 discussion

Answer

Explicitly time-boxing discussion for each horizon prevents operational bias from crowding out strategic conversations about emerging and future work.

Question 2

In a large organization, how should a BA handle an initiative that simultaneously serves Horizon 1 (efficiency) and Horizon 2 (new market entry)?

Accepted Answer

Split the initiative into two workstreams, each tracked under the appropriate horizon

Answer

Dual-purpose initiatives can be decomposed into workstreams, each aligned to the correct horizon for appropriate investment and measurement.

Question 3

Which risk does an organization face if it neglects Horizon 3 investment entirely?

Accepted Answer

Inability to adapt when Horizon 1 markets decline or are disrupted

Answer

Without Horizon 3 bets, an organization has no pipeline of future opportunities if its core business is disrupted.

Question 4

A BA is helping an executive team use horizon planning to allocate the annual innovation budget. Which allocation principle is most commonly cited in portfolio planning?

Accepted Answer

70-20-10 across Horizon 1, 2, and 3

Answer

The 70-20-10 rule (70% core, 20% adjacent, 10% transformational) is a widely referenced portfolio allocation framework for balancing horizons.

Question 5

How does initiative horizon planning support the Agile principle of 'responding to change over following a plan'?

Accepted Answer

It creates a flexible strategic scaffold that is revisited and adapted regularly

Answer

Horizon planning is revisited regularly, allowing teams to reassign, pivot, or retire initiatives as new information emerges — fully consistent with Agile adaptability.

Agile Business Analysis Practice Test

Agile Business Analysis Practice Test

Agile Business Analysis Initiative Horizon Planning 5