Lecture 1 (28/1) - Intro to Course and Intro to Scrum

Overlapping development phases in the "Rugby" / holistic approach to product development

Under the holistic or rugby approach, the phases overlap considerably, which enables the group to absorb the vibration or "noise" generated throughout the development process. When a bottleneck appears, the level of noise obviously increases. But the process does not come to a sudden halt; the team manages to push itself forward.

Purpose of the Scrum events / ceremonies

Prescribed events are used in Scrum to create regularity and to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum. All events are time-boxed events, such that every event has a maximum duration. Once a Sprint begins, its duration is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. Failure to include any of these events results in reduced transparency.

The Sprint in Scrum

The heart of Scrum is a Sprint, a time-box of one month or less during which a "Done", useable, and potentially releasable product Increment is created. Sprints have consistent durations throughout a development effort. A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint. Sprints contain and consist of the Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, the development work, the Sprint Review, and the Sprint Retrospective. Each Sprint has a goal of what is to be built.

What is Scrum not?

It is not a process, technique, or definitive method.

Scrum events / ceremonies

Sprint Planning Daily Scrum Sprint Review Sprint Retrospective

Scrum roles

The Development Team The Scrum Master The Product Owner

Six characteristics of the "Rugby" approach to product development

1. Built-in instability 2. Self-organizing project teams 3. Overlapping development phases 4. Multilearning 5. Subtle control 6. Organizational transfer of learning

The Daily Scrum

A 15-minute event for the Development Team where all are standing up. It is held every day of the Sprint. The Daily Scrum is held at the same time and place each day to reduce complexity. Daily Scrums improve communication, eliminate other meetings, identify impediments to development for removal, highlight and promote quick decision-making, and improve the Development Team's level of knowledge. This is a key inspect and adapt meeting.

The Sprint Review in Scrum

A Sprint Review is held at the end of the Sprint to inspect the Increment and adapt the Product Backlog if needed. During the Sprint Review, the Scrum Team and stakeholders collaborate about what was done in the Sprint. Based on that and any changes to the Product Backlog during the Sprint, attendees collaborate on the next things that could be done to optimize value. This is an informal meeting, not a status meeting, and the presentation/demo of the Increment is intended to elicit feedback and foster collaboration.

Examples of transparency in Scrum

A common language referring to the process must be shared by all participants. Those performing the work and those inspecting the resulting increment must share a common definition of "Done".

When does a group possess a self-organizing capability?

A group possesses a self-organizing capability when it exhibits three conditions: autonomy, self-transcendence, and cross-fertilization.

"Rugby" approach to product development

A new emphasis on speed and flexibility calls for a different approach for managing new product development. It is a holistic approach where, as in rugby, the ball gets passed within the team as it moves as a unit up the field. The shift from a linear to an integrated approach encourages trial and error and challenges the status quo.

Cancelling a Sprint in Scrum

Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint. A Sprint would be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. This might occur if the company changes direction or if market or technology conditions change. Sprint cancellations are often traumatic to the Scrum Team.

Cross-fertilization as a condition for possessing a self-organizing capability

A project team consisting of members with varying functional specializations, thought processes, and behavior patterns carries out new product development. While selecting a diverse team is crucial, it isn't until the members start to interact that cross-fertilization actually takes place. When all the team members are located in one large room, someone's information becomes yours, without even trying.

The essence of Scrum

A small team of people. The individual team is highly flexible and adaptive.

Self-organizing teams in Scrum

A team that choose how best to accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others outside the team.

Analogy of roles in Scrum

An analogy of the roles in Scrum could be a racecar. The team is the car, the product owner is the driver (that goes left or right), and the scrum master is the mechanic.

What does Scrum employ?

An iterative, incremental approach.

What are the Scrum artifacts specifically designed to?

Artifacts defined by Scrum are specifically designed to maximize transparency of key information so that everybody has the same understanding of the artifact.

Development Team Size in Scrum

Between five to nine people. Fewer than three may encounter skill constraints during the Sprint, causing the Development Team to be unable to deliver a potentially releasable Increment. Having more than nine members requires too much coordination. Large Development Teams generate too much complexity for an empirical process to be useful. The Product Owner and Scrum Master roles are not included in this count unless they are also executing the work of the Sprint Backlog.

What does Product Backlog management include?

Clearly expressing Product Backlog items. Ordering the items in the Product Backlog to best achieve goals and missions. Optimizing the value of the work the Development Team performs. Ensuring that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, and clear to all, and shows what the Scrum Team will work on next. Ensuring the Development Team understands items in the Product Backlog to the level needed.

Extreme Programming principles examples

Code review Test first / driven development Continuous integration Pair programming

The 5 Scrum values

Commitment Courage Focus Openness Respect

Cross-functional teams in Scrum

Cross-functional teams have all competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others not part of the team.

The Sprint Goal in Scrum

During Sprint Planning the Scrum Team also crafts a Sprint Goal. The Sprint Goal is an objective that will be met within the Sprint through the implementation of the Product Backlog, and it provides guidance to the Development Team on why it is building the Increment.

What effect can the six characteristics of the "Rugby" approach to product development have?

Each element, by itself, does not bring about speed and flexibility. But taken as a whole, the characteristics can produce a powerful new set of dynamics that will make a difference.

Extreme Programming

Exrteme programming is an agile process.

What are the merits of overlapping development phases in the holistic approach to product development?

Greater speed and increased flexibility are the "hard" merits. But the approach also has a set of "soft" merits relating to human resource management. For instance, it enhances shared responsibility and cooperation.

Autonomy as a condition for possessing a self-organizing capability

Headquarters' involvement is limited to providing guidance, money, and moral support at the outset. On a day-to-day basis, top management seldom intervenes.

Order of the Product Backlog in Scrum

Higher ordered Product Backlog items are usually clearer and more detailed than lower ordered ones. More precise estimates are made based on the greater clarity and increased detail; the lower the order, the less detail.

Adaptation in Scrum

If an inspector determines that one or more aspects of a process deviate outside acceptable limits, and that the resulting product will be unacceptable, the process or the material being processed must be adjusted. An adjustment must be made as soon as possible to minimize further deviation.

When was Scrum first introduced?

In the eary 1990's.

Statements of values from The Agile Manifesto

Individuals and interactions over Process and tools. Working software over Comprehensive documentation. Customer collaboration over Contract negotiation. Responding to change over Following a plan.

Managin the Sprint Backlog in Scrum

Individuals sign up for work of their own choosing, it is never assigned. The estimated work remaining should be updated daily. Any team member can add, delete, or change the Sprint Backlog. Work for the sprint emerges.

Product Backlog Refinement in Scrum

Is the act of adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the Product Backlog. This is an ongoing process in which the Product Owner and the Development Team collaborate on the details of Product Backlog items. The Scrum Team decides how and when refinement is done.

Limitations of the holistic approach to product development

It requires extraordinary effort on the part of all project members throughout the span of the development process. It may not apply to breakthrough projects that require a revolutionary innovation. It may not apply to organizations where product development is masterminded by a genius who makes the invention and hands down a well defined set of specifications for people below to follow.

Reasons for standing up at the Daily Scrum meeting

It should not take too long, so everyone participating should not be too comfortable. If everyone was sitting down they would probably have a laptop and no one would be really listening - at least not for the whole time. This behavior is removed when everyone is standing.

What are the demerits of overlapping development phases in the holistic approach to product development?

Problems include communicating with the entire project team, maintaining close contact with suppliers, and handling surprises. This approach also creates more tension and conflict in the group.

Scrum artifacts

Product Backlog Sprint Backlog Projective Practices to monitor progress (Burndown charts)

What does the Scrum team deliver?

Scrum Teams deliver products iteratively and incrementally, maximizing opportunities for feedback. Incremental deliveries of a "Done" product ensures a potentially useful version of a working product is always available.

What does Scrum apply to?

Scrum does not only apply to software development, but can also be used for other things such as managing the operation of organizations. It proved especially effective in iterative and incremental knowledge transfer.

Scrum definition

Scrum is an agile framework for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products. This definition consists of Scrum's roles, events, artifacts, and the rules that bind them together. It is a framework within which you can employ various processes and techniques and continuously improve the product, the team, and the working environment.

Inspection in Scrum

Scrum users must frequently inspect Scrum artifacts and progress toward a Sprint Goal to detect undesirable variances. Their inspection should not be so frequent that inspection gets in the way of the work. Inspections are most beneficial when diligently performed by skilled inspectors at the point of work.

Characteristics of the Development Team in Scrum

Self-organizing Cross-functional No titles No sub-teams Accountability belongs to the Development Team as a whole

Transparency in Scrum

Significant aspects of the process must be visible to those responsible for the outcome. Transparency requires those aspects be defined by a common standard so observers share a common understanding of what is being seen.

Why is the Sprint planning meeting in Scrum held?

So everyone knows what will be worked on, and so everyone understand it enough to do it.

Scrum formal events for inspection and adaption

Sprint Planning Daily Scrum Sprint Review Sprint Retrospective

Parts in the Sprint planning meeting in Scrum

Sprint prioritization, which is where the product backlog is analyzed and evalutated, and the sprint goal is selected. Sprint planning, which is where the team decides how to achieve the sprint goal, creates the sprint backlog and estimates the sprint backlog items.

The Development Team in Scrum

The Development Team consists of professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable Increment of "Done" product at the end of each Sprint.

The Increment in Scrum

The Increment is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprints.

The Product Backlog in Scrum

The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product. It is the single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product. The Product Backlog is dynamic; it constantly changes to identify what the product needs to be appropriate, competitive, and useful. Therefore it is never complete.

The Sprint Backlog in Scrum

The Product Backlog items selected for this Sprint plus the plan for delivering them is called the Sprint Backlog. The Sprint Backlog is a forecast by the Development Team about what functionality will be in the next Increment and the work needed to deliver that functionality into a "Done" Increment. To ensure continuous improvement, it includes at least one high priority process improvement identified in the previous Retrospective meeting. Only the Development Team can change its Sprint Backlog during a Sprint.

The Product Owner in Scrum

The Product Owner is one person and he is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Development Team. The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog. It can be delegated to the Development Team, but the Product Owner remains accountable.

The Scrum Master

The Scrum Master is responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. Scrum Masters do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values. The Scrum Master helps those outside the Scrum Team understand which of their interactions with the Scrum Team are helpful and which aren't.

The Scrum team

The Scrum Team consists of a Product Owner, the Development Team, and a Scrum Master. Scrum Teams are self-organizing and cross-functional. The team model in Scrum is designed to optimize flexibility, creativity, and productivity.

The Sprint Retrospective in Scrum

The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. The Sprint Retrospective occurs after the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning. It is typically 15-30 minutes and is for the whole team.

Agenda in the Sprint planning meeting in Scrum

The agenda of the Sprint planning meeting is to discuss top priority product backlog items and for the team to select what to do.

"Relay Race" approach to product development

The old sequential approach. Here, a product development process moved like a relay race, with one group of functional specialists passing the baton to the next group. The project went sequentially from phase to phase. The traditional sequential or "relay race" approach to product development may conflict with the goals of maximum speed and flexibility.

Self-transcendence as a condition for possessing a self-organizing capability

The project teams appear to be absorbed in a never-ending quest for "the limit." Starting with the guidelines set forth by top management, they begin to establish their own goals and keep on elevating them throughout the development process.

What is the purpose of the Sprint Retrospective in Scrum?

The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to: Inspect how the last Sprint went with regards to people, relationships, process, and tools; Identify and order the major items that went well and potential improvements; Create a plan for implementing improvements to the way the Scrum Team does its work.

What is the Result of the Sprint Review in Scrum?

The result of the Sprint Review is a revised Product Backlog that defines the probable Product Backlog items for the next Sprint. The Product Backlog may also be adjusted overall to meet new opportunities.

A common framework for the Retrospective meeting in Scrum

The team gathers and discusses the following: What they would like to start doing What they would like to stop doing What they would like to continue doing

Sprint Planning in Scrum

The work to be performed in the Sprint is planned at the Sprint Planning. This plan is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team. Sprint Planning answers what can be delivered in the Increment resulting from the upcoming Sprint, and how the work needed to deliver the Increment will be achieved.

Why does Scrum employ an iterative, incremental approach?

To optimize predictability ad control risk.

The three pillars that uphold every implementation of empirical process control in Scrum.

Transparency Inspection Adaption

Development phases of the "relay race" / sequential approach to product development

Under the sequential or relay race approach, a project goes through several phases in a step-by-Step fashion, moving from one phase to the next only after all the requirements of the preceding phase are satisfied. These checkpoints control risk. But at the same time, this approach leaves little room for integration. A bottleneck in one phase can slow or even halt the entire development process.

A common framework for the Daily Scrum meeting

What did you do yesterday? What will you do today? Is anything in your way?

Definition of "Done" in Scrum

When a Product Backlog item or an Increment is described as "Done", everyone must understand what "Done" means. This ensures transparency. This is the definition of "Done" for the Scrum Team and is used to assess when work is complete on the product Increment. As Scrum Teams mature, it is expected that their definitions of "Done" will expand to include more stringent criteria for higher quality.

What is the consequence of a Sprint that is too long in Scrum?

When a Sprint's horizon is too long the definition of what is being built may change, complexity may rise, and risk may increase. Sprints enable predictability by ensuring inspection and adaptation of progress toward a Sprint Goal at least every calendar month. Sprints also limit risk to one calendar month of cost.