Most common agile framework use by various industry globally
In Scrum, the Agile team creatively manages the work with a focus on delivering complex adaptive product features in an age when customers expect rapid responses based on emerging market needs.
Features are delivered in iteration known as sprints without compromising quality
In fact, quality is built in
Scrum prescribes a model in which a self-directed and self-organized Agile team, plans their work themselves in a decentralized manner.
The Agile team conducts daily standups in which they provide updates to each other every day.
They deliver in short sprints and they identify opportunities for improvement through retrospectives at the end of each sprint.
The Scrum framework introduces specific roles with recommended responsibilities.
Scrum also introduces ceremonies with the recommended agenda, duration and frequency.
Several the Agile artifacts are regularly used in scrum.
Scrum Pillars
Transparency
Refers to explicitly giving visibility to all involved, such as the business users, the organization's leadership, the product owner, as well as the Agile team itself.
In order for transparency to work effectively, scrum recommends that significant aspects of the product of the reprocess should be defined by a common standard.
This will help everyone in having a consistent understanding of what is being observed.
Inspection
Inspection involves the business users or their representatives reviewing the Agile teams progress towards the defined goals and objectives.
This needs to be done with some frequency, with the recommendation being that's such an inspection should take place at least once per sprint, but not so frequently that it slows the Agile teams progress.
This helps with quickly identifying any unwanted variances from the defined sprint goals.
Adaptation
Scrum encourages Agile teams to adjust and adapt based on opportunities for improvement that are identified either by the Agile team themselves or through feedback from others outside the Agile team.
Adjustments could include process improvements if it appears that the existing process will negatively impact the final product deliverables. Such adjustments should be proactively dealt with to reduce further divergence from the goals.
Scrum Values
Focus
- Delivering product features and results is a collaborative effort in Scrum, that requires everyone to focus on the work to be completed in order to deliver the sprint goals.
Courage
Members of the Agile team need to have courage to do what is right to ensure that the sprint goals are met.
This may include having the courage to dig deep into challenging problems being encountered and work through them.
Openness
Key to agile team's performance
The Scrum team and stakeholders agree to a culture of openness.
This ensures everyone will be comfortable to openly discuss all the work underway, as well as any obstacles and challenges they may arise.
Commitment
Commitments, build trust within the Agile team members, and perhaps more importantly with the business users and leaders of the organization.
Scrum encourages the Agile team to have a reasonable good faith approach to negotiating the sprint goals and sincerely strive to attain the committed sprint goals.
Respect
Respect elevates the Agile team members participation by including them in ceremonies and all key planning components.
This increases agile teams motivation
When Scrum Does Not Make Sense
As shown in the Stacey diagram, an Agile Framework like Scrum works best with complex and complicated projects and products. There may not be much value in utilizing Agile principles
when there is a near certainty in both the requirements and process upfront.
when there is chaos. Scrum cannot bring value to an environment where there is no vision or clear roadmap.
when the project is simple and predictable and the need for iterative learning and adapting is of no value.
Scrum Ceremonies
In order to minimize wasting time in unnecessary meetings and group discussions.
Scrum Ceremonies are focused meetings with a specific purpose. The recommended Scrum Ceremonies are:
Project Vision
Project Vision Ceremony is where the business leaders identify the business need the project’s product deliverable is intended to achieve.
Agenda - Discuss the project goals, identify the sponsor, and outline the project vision, success criteria, assumptions, constraints, and risks.
Project Vision occurs once per project and is scheduled before the project launch.
Scrum recommends this ceremony be time-boxed to 1 hour.
Outcome - Business leaders create a desired future state statement to clarify business value.
- Such a clearly envisioned product lays out a high-level path to help accomplish the requested objectives.
Daily Stand Up or Scrum
The Daily Stand Up is used to synchronize activities and create a short-term plan for the next 24 hours.
Goal is to gaze the Agile Team's progress towards accomplishing the committed Sprint Goals.
It is time-boxed to 15 minutes and is held every day, throughout the whole scrum ceremonies, ideally at the same time daily. Preferred in morning and in same location
Three questions are addressed by each Team member briefly:
What did I do since the last time we met?
What do I plan to accomplish today?
What impediments am I encountering?
This is a very valuable Ceremony in which all Team members get an opportunity to report issues they are facing; cultivates transparency across the product development journey.
Job of scrum master is ensure that the conversation remains focused to just addressing these three questions.
Not occasion for deep dive problem solving, so that other agile member can get to work
Sprint Planning
The Team self-organizes and plans out the work to be performed in the Sprint.
The work is prioritized by the Product Owner.
Everyone on the Agile Team collaborates in Sprint Planning.
Time-boxed to not more than eight hours for a one-month Sprint.
Many organizations I have worked with have two-week Sprints, in such a case, Sprint Planning should be even shorter.
Sprint Planning does not all have to occur in one sitting, In fact, it is common to have more than one Sprint Planning session during a Sprint.
The Scrum Master ensures that the timebox is not exceeded in Sprint Planning.
Agile Team works with the PO and Scrum Master to address the following three questions:
What are we committing to deliver in the upcoming Sprint? (Primarily done by PO)
How will we complete the work required to achieve this commitment?
What are the respective estimates for each user story and associated tasks?
The Agile Team takes the prioritized backlog items created by PO and collaborates on how to carry out the work.
Notes: the Daily Stand Up or Scrum is held daily, including the time between Sprint Planning and Sprint Review.
Sprint Review/Demo
The purpose is to generate feedback and nurture collaboration.
The Team demonstrates the Sprint’s incremental work to the PO and other business representatives.
The Team and PO transparently discuss accomplishments, as well as opportunities for improvement.
The PO determines if the Sprint deliverables are acceptable based on the Acceptance Criteria and Definition of Done.
Occurs once at the end of each Sprint with a
time-box of 4 hours for a one-month Sprint.
time-box of 2 hours for a 2 week sprint
Sprint Retrospective
The Team self-inspects its performance during the Sprint and identifies practical opportunities for improvement for subsequent Sprints.
Retrospectives are held after the Sprint Review; time-boxed to 3 hours for a one-month Sprint. (In reality shorter time period)
Team takes into account the PO's feedback from Scrum Review ceremony.
The Scrum Master facilitates this discussion,
and the Agile Team will look for all opportunities for improvement in terms of process, tools, and people.
The Team also discusses what went well, as well as what to continue to doing that is working very well for the Agile Team in terms of delivering value.
Is a structured opportunity to have a targeted inspection and adaptation session.
Release Planning
The Team develops a Release Plan that defines when a collection of functionality will be delivered to the customer base.
The agenda is to discuss critical dates and milestones, coordinate with dependent departments and systems, and balance business value vs quality.
Outcome: Release date for delivery of feature to the customer base, based on input from business units or users.
Only occurs when there is a Release; time-boxed to 20 minutes.
Roles in scrum
Similar to other Agile Frameworks, there are 3 core roles in the Scrum Framework.
Product Owner, who is the voice of the customer.
Maximize value delivery
Prioritize and manage the Product Backlog
Scrum Master, who is the key facilitator.
Keeps agile team moving at an acceptable pace towards business objectives
Removes blockages
Facilitates ceremonies, although the scrum framework encourages the agile team to conduct ceremonies on its own if the scrum master is away.
Servant leader to agile team and PO
The scrum master supports the PO in various ways, such as keeping the product backlog refined and clarifying backlog items to the agile team.
The scrum master also serves as a coach to the agile team in the adoption of scrum practices.
Agile Team, also known as the Scrum Team sometimes.
T Shaped Skill
Self-organized
Scrum Artifacts
artifacts are used to transparently communicate the agile team's progress and value being delivered.
This openness allows for constructive feedback since all the key information is available to everyone involved.
The artifacts are designed to be easily understood to ensure everyone is on the same page.
three artifacts recommended in the scrum guide:
Product Increment
clarifies what is being delivered in each increment at the end of each Sprint.
The PO and agile team agree on the definition of done, i.e. the agile team commits to what will be done in a sprint, with the PO identifying the acceptance criteria.
The Product Backlog
Is the prioritized list of work to be delivered by the Team.
The PO, with consultation from the agile team, prioritizes a product backlog.
The Backlog items are dynamic and evolving based on emergent needs of the business and customer demand.
The Sprint Backlog
contains the prioritized items that the PO has designated for the Sprint.
A portion of the product backlog items that are of higher value are included in the sprint backlog by the PO.
There are other useful information radiators that are commonly used by Agile teams to track and share progress. These information radiators include Burndown Charts, Burnup Charts, and Velocity Charts.
