1) Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

Scrum Case Study Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

Imagine if your team has to create a new website. The team can break down the work into the smaller projects. As the smaller work items are completed, the team can review their progress each sprint and adjust to ensure the whole project is delivered successfully. If the project needs a predictable delivery schedule, Scrum is the preferred workflow to use.

The Functional Manager Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

In our matrixed organization, our functional managers (for example, an engineering manager) can work on a Scrum team. And when they do, they often act as a ScrumMaster or product owner. Regardless of what role they take on, they're responsible for all Employee Success personnel and organizational matters.

Why Do We Emphasize Finishing? Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

In the Scrum world, projects that are works in progress are a form of waste. That's because WIP projects mean you're not learning and adapting to create better deliverables and solutions. Work that is not completed (checked-in, tested, and deployed) delays the entire workflow. We promote a culture where teams work to help each other bring projects over the finish line. We call this swarming or dog piling—people helping each other finish the last 20% of work.

What Does the Scrum Process at Salesforce Look like?

In the last module, we learned how the Scrum process allows us to learn enough in real time to correct any potential damage from our risk-taking. This lets us continuously innovate while improving our products and process. In a nutshell, Scrum drives us to: - Deliver or demo something every sprint, so that the team can gather feedback frequently about deliverables. (This keeps us constantly innovating!) - Continuously improve ourselves, the team, and the outcome, every day in every sprint. - Assemble a competent team and let the team make all decisions. - Appoint one person to remove the barriers, so that someone is accountable. - Appoint one person to set work agendas and prioritize projects for teams, so that the team is focused on what is important.

What are the two main types of Scrum meetings we have at Salesforce? A.Planning and inspection, and status updates B.Sprint and planning meetings C.Inspect and adapt, and planning meetings D.Release planning and sprint demos Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Implement Scrum

Inspect and adapt, and planning meetings

One of the key attributes of Scrum at Salesforce is: A.It's a framework to organize delivery to customers. B.Teams work in long iterations or sprints. C.Everyone is organized into large, specialist teams. D.It is a framework used in sports teams, especially soccer. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn About Scrum

It's a framework to organize delivery to customers.

What is the Sprint Backlong Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

Just because a work item is put in the product backlog queue doesn't mean it gets done. Right before every sprint, teams look at the product backlog and assess which high-priority work items they can tackle in 2 weeks. They put those projects into the sprint backlog.

The Technical Program Manager (TPMs) Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

Our TPMs work at the leadership level of each cloud (Service, Sales, Marketing, Platform), often dealing with high-level cloud dependency tracking and other logistical issues. Their focus spans programs across all the clouds, which means they get rather busy!

There are two main types of Scrum meetings at Salesforce Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

Planning meetings: These happen at all different stages of the project—drawing it out, it looks like a layered cake. Regardless of what stage the project is in, teams regularly meet to ensure they're aligned on the final outcome. - Planning Meetings - Release Planning Every 4 Months - Backlog Refinement Planning Happens Every 2 Weeks -Sprint Planning Happens Every 2 Weeks - Daily Stand-Up Happens (Almost!) Every Inspect and adapt meetings: We've talked a lot about how important it is for teams to take new learnings and apply them to the next sprint. This is the time they do this. These meetings are geared toward improving the process and the products. - Retrospective: A Look Back at the End of Every Sprint - Sprint Demo Happens Each Spint

Which meetings are important for planning? A.Demo/review, retros, status meetings B.Release planning, sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily standup C.Long-term planning, reviews, demos D.Status meetings, backlog refinement, demo/review Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Implement Scrum

Release planning, sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily standup

ScrumMaster The ScrumMaster is like the team mirror. This person keeps everyone accountable to their commitments—and calls them out when they're not executing. They manage the team's delivery process, including how to inspect and adapt their process and projects. They do all this while coaching the team to excel. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

Salesforce ScrumMasters: - Remove blockers - Don't micromanage - Steer the team from bad habits and inefficient processes - Enable the team to become collaborative and high-performing

Why do some teams combine Scrum and Kanban processes? A.Because the more processes, the better the deliverable. B.Teams sometimes can't decide which process to use. C.Scrumban is fun to say. D.Teams like the Scrum structure, with the Kanban WIP limits. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Choose the Best Workflow

Teams like the Scrum structure, with the Kanban WIP limits.

Explain Scrum roles at Salesforce. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

The Scrum roles at Salesforce aren't job titles, but a list of responsibilities team members take on. Here's a brief summary of those roles.

The primary difference between a demo/review and retrospective is: A.Demo/reviews are only done by teams that build products, and retros are done by all teams. B.Retrospectives happen at release boundaries, while demos/reviews happen at least monthly. C.There's not a difference; they're interchangeable. D.The first inspects and adapts the product or service, and the second inspects how the team works. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Implement Scrum

The first inspects and adapts the product or service, and the second inspects how the team works.

What is the difference between a product backlog and a sprint backlog? A.The product backlog is a list of everything the team has committed to do. The sprint backlog is a list of things that potentially can be needed. B.The sprint backlog is prioritized by the product owner, the product backlog is prioritized by the team. C.The product backlog is prioritized, the sprint backlog is not. D.The product backlog is everything that can possibly be needed, the sprint backlog is the work committed by the team for the next 2 weeks. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn the Elements of the Scrum Workflow

The product backlog is everything that can possibly be needed, the sprint backlog is the work committed by the team for the next 2 weeks.

The main Scrum team roles have the following traits. A.ScrumMasters are an optional role, product owners can be customers, the team follows their plan. B.Product owners micromanage work, ScrumMasters prioritize work, and the team follows direction to deliver tasks. C.The team does the work, the ScrumMaster helps facilitate the process, and the product owner defines the direction for the team. D.Team members and functional managers are all responsible for prioritizing the backlog. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn About Scrum

The team does the work, the ScrumMaster helps facilitate the process, and the product owner defines the direction for the team.

When does a team choose Kanban to manage its work A.The team decides it doesn't want to plan anymore. B.The team's work is difficult to predict. C.The team likes structure. D.The team can't decide what to work on and doesn't finish work on target Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Choose the Best Workflow

The team's work is difficult to predict.

Kanban teams use which practices to manage flow: A.Storypoints, timebox, work in progress, velocity B.Retrospectives, planning, support policies, velocity C.Iterations, epics, subject matter experts, refinement D.Cycle time, lead time, small batch size, and throughput Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn About Kanban

Cycle time, lead time, small batch size, and throughput

Which of the following is true of the Scrum elements of delivery? A.A product backlog is a list of everything that we think needs be done. B.Potentially shippable increments are always released each sprint. C.The sprint backlog is a list of all work that can potentially be done on the project. D.We focus on output, not outcome. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn the Elements of the Scrum Workflow

A product backlog is a list of everything that we think needs be done.

List Scrum values. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

- Focus - Courage - Openess - Commitment - Respect

.Describe the key traits of Scrum. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

- It provides a framework to deliver high-quality value to customers faster. - Everyone is organized into small, cross-functional teams. - Teams work in short iterations (we call them sprints).

Kanban teams respond to unplanned work and changes by: A.Putting the new request at the bottom of the backlog B.Dropping everything to jump on the new request C.Assessing the priority of the new request and starting the work when it's at the top of the backlog D.Giving the customer/stakeholder daily updates Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn About Kanban

Assessing the priority of the new request and starting the work when it's at the top of the backlog

The Team We aim to keep teams small and nimble (hence the word agile!)—between three and nine people. We make sure our teams consist of diverse expertise to deliver projects at the end of every sprint. Diverse expertise means the team has all the right players; they bring projects over the finish line in each sprint. In other words, they don't have to look to other teams for help. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

At Salesforce, teams are: - Self-organizing and empowered - Consistently adjusting and updating their process and products based on lessons they've learned - Autonomous - Accountable individually - Collaborating on commitments for each sprint

The Product Owner The product owner is responsible for the what and why of our process. This person works closely with customers to ensure they're getting a good return on their Salesforce investment. They do this by prioritizing the product backlog and communicating the highest-value work. They're also responsible for communicating the vision to internal teams by providing them with a prioritized list of work. We call that list a product backlog. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

At Salesforce, the product owner: - Facilitates communication among stakeholders, team members, and the ScrumMaster. - Defines, prioritizes, and approves work for the team. - Works with customers to define desired features.

The Shared Service Subject Matter Expert (SMEs) Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

At a large company like Salesforce, we rely on subject matter experts (like technical writers or designers) to help us deliver our products and services. They work for many delivery teams, providing up-to-date information and data to inform our projects.

Kanban Case Study Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

Does your team have to deal with service outages? That's an example of interruption-driven work. You can't always know about or plan for outages 2 weeks in advance. Teams that work on architectural, service, or platform support tend to work on items that just pop up and create shifting priorities. In this case, Kanban is the better process, as its flexible workflow allows for these kind of unpredictable outages.

Scrum or Kanban—or both? It really comes down to the type of work your team does, and how volatile or interruption-driven the work is. We can help you figure that out. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

First, here are the main questions to ask yourself when considering which workflow to use. - Is your team focused on predictability and productivity for large projects? - How far in advance can your team plan? - Is the new work truly an emergency? - How quickly are you required to deliver the new work?

The five Scrum values are: A.Trust, Ohana, respect people, planning, and delivery B.Value, customer, time-box, communication, empowerment C.ScrumMasters, product owners, the team, subject matter experts, technical program managers D.Focus, courage, openness, commitment, and respect Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn About Scrum

Focus, courage, openness, commitment, and respect

What is the Product Backlog Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

This is our ordered list of work that can possibly be needed, not all work that is going to be done. We define it as the single source of truth that describes, to our best knowledge, all the changes, updates, and requirements that we think are necessary to do. What exactly is a product backlog, and what does it consist of? - It's constantly refined as teams learn new information about the product. - Higher-priority items have more detail in them so that they're work-ready. - It includes not just project-related work, but also support or maintenance work, nonfunctional requirements, and research. - The product owner owns it, and it's their job to prioritize the work items.

How to choose Scrum vs Kanban

Use Kanban if it's necessary to change directions often, minimize disruptions to a plan, and start the urgent work quickly. Use Scrum if you're managing a large planned project, your team can commit to a 2-week chunk of work, and the stakeholder can wait until the end of the sprint for the team to start the work.

Describe the four key traits of Kanban. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

Visualize workflow: Work is divided up into pieces, each written onto a card that is placed on a wall (either physical or virtual). At Salesforce, we use a virtual wall, called Agile Accelerator.The workflow is mapped into columns, illustrating where each item is in the workflow. Limit work in progress (WIP): Teams place limitations on how many work items are in progress at one time in each workflow stage. If they hit a limit, they help each other out by tackling things as a team to unblock them. Incremental and evolutionary change: Unlike Scrum, which is a process that calls for far-reaching shifts in work process, Kanban lets teams embrace smaller and more changes along the way. Kanban includes metrics: There are a few measurement systems used in Kanban: Lead time, which is the average time to complete one item, sometimes called cycle time. This helps teams optimize the process to make lead time as small and predictable as possible. Throughput: Defined as the amount of work completed in a single period of time. Kanban Embraces Last-Minute Change Imagine this scenario: A stakeholder wants your team to deliver a high-priority item right now. If you're using Scrum, the team always says: "No thank you, put it on the product backlog to be prioritized." That's what Scrum is for: to protect the team from taking on new work while in the middle of a sprint. But with Kanban, the team can respond to the same stakeholder with, "OK, we have a WIP limit of two—we can start on this urgent item next." Kanban teams do not make the same commitments—and they don't have sprint backlogs. In other words, teams using this workflow are more open to taking on a last-minute request. When they're finished with a work item, they move to the next highest-priority Measure Success How do we predict and determine our progress using Kanban? We measure. Kanban metrics rely on average lead times to determine our output. In other words: How long does it take for an item of work to completely pass through all of the work states before it's considered done? Just a quick note: If your lead times start to increase, have a look at what's going wrong with your process. Improve Collaboratively Since all work is highly transparent in a Kanban system, it's easy for teams to know when delays occur—and they react quickly. As delays occur, teams hash out root causes of those delays, looking for ways to improve their cycle times or reduce their bottlenecks in the future. These are all the Kanban principles teams use to efficiently deliver value to customers. But which is best between Scrum or Kanban? We talk about the different types of work and which framework teams tend to use at Salesforce in the next unit.

Kanban teams deliver fast by: A.Setting expectations with customers, using a Kanban board, talking to each other, having a workflow B.Visualizing flow, limiting work in progress with visual indicators, managing flow, and adapting with evolutionary changes C.Managing process flow, a single point of contact with customers, effective monitoring capabilities, and tools D.Customer focus, keeping work small, daily meetings, and tracking lead time Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn About Kanban

Visualizing flow, limiting work in progress with visual indicators, managing flow, and adapting with evolutionary changes

Finishing work in a sprint is important because: A.We value eliminating waste, and unfinished work is a form of waste that does not help us deliver value to our customers. B.It means that work is developed and ready for testing in the next iteration. C.We like to honor our plans and commitments. D.We don't need to fully test something unfinished. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Learn the Elements of the Scrum Workflow

We value eliminating waste, and unfinished work is a form of waste that does not help us deliver value to our customers.

Potentially Shippable Work Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce

What's most important is that teams deliver something of value to the customer every sprint. To accomplish this, we focus on the outcome, not the output—that's an important distinction in the Scrum process. Simply put: We aim to produce quality work, not a quantity of work. We also push to complete work before we start something new. No one wants to eat a half-baked cake! We work this way for good reason: Every 4 months, Salesforce releases updates to its platform. This is not to say that we only finish deliverables every 4 months. That would not allow us to consistently learn and incorporate those learnings every 2 weeks, as we do now. We've continued to deliver this way throughout the release cycle to provide the best solution.

What is interruption-driven work? A.Work items that were forgotten about when the team rushed planning and now have to be done. B.Work that is defined by someone continuously interrupting you with emails and texts. C.Work that is difficult to predict in advance but needs a team in place to handle it when it comes up. Scrum and Kanban at Salesforce -- Choose the Best Workflow

Work that is difficult to predict in advance but needs a team in place to handle it when it comes up.