This activity is performed throughout the project lifecycle. The goal of this activity is to identify risks and issues early enough that they can be mitigated, to establish the goals for the iteration, and to support the development team in reaching these goals.

The project manager and the team launch the iteration. The prioritization of work for a given iteration takes place. The project manager, stakeholders, and team members agree on what is supposed to be developed during that iteration.

Team members sign up for the work items they will develop in that iteration. Each team member breaks down the work items into development tasks and estimates the effort. This provides a more accurate estimate of the amount of time that will be spent, and of what can be realistically achieved, in a given iteration.

As the iteration runs, the team meets regularly to report status of work completed, the work to do next, and issues blocking the progress. In some projects, this status checking occurs in daily meetings, which allows for a more precise understanding of how the work in an iteration is progressing. As necessary, the team makes corrections to achieve what was planned. The overall idea is that risks and issues are identified and managed throughout the iteration, and everyone knows the project status in a timely manner.

During iteration assessments, the key success criterion is the demonstration that planned functionality has been implemented. Lessons learned are captured in order to modify the project or improve the process. If the iteration end coincides with the phase end, make sure the objectives for that phase have been met (see Concept: Phase Milestones for more information).