Dynamic planning is most effective when you know the relative priorities of work
items you are tracking. The Open by Priority chart helps you check that
your team is working on the optimal mix of artifacts.
Use the Open by Priority chart for a quick overview of the type of
work your project is working with. A glance at this chart can suggest some broad
generalizations, which you'll then want to test by examining your planning folder
contents more closely.
- When the darker bars on the left side of the chart are high, you are probably
working on the high-impact issues that come up earlier in a work cycle. Don't be
surprised if the trend line in your Burndown chart is not yet
sloping steeply downward to the right.
- When the lighter bars on the right side of the chart are high, you are likely to be
working on cleanup issues and refinements. You may be approaching the end of the
work cycle you defined in this planning folder. At this stage, the Closed slice of
the Open vs. Closed chart is likely to be equal to or larger
than the Open proportion.
Note: The Open by Priority chart won't tell you how much work is
involved in the artifacts that it measures. For that, check the
Burndown chart.
