Only when the product backlog has enough items for the next two sprints, is it time to plan the next one. Scope creep happens when there is uncontrolled growth in the scope of the project, because there was poorly defined scope for the next few sprints in the backlog. Set goals clearly. Unless the goals for each sprint are clearly laid out, it could become very difficult to prioritise the tasks in the backlog. The team and customers must align their objectives in order to set the goals that the team will achieve during each sprint.
Based on the goals, the Product Owner in conjunction with the team will choose the tasks that must be completed during the sprint. Estimate using Planning Poker. Planning Poker is a proven, easy to use technique for estimating and planning.
Using this simple technique, accurate and doable estimates can be achieved. Set time aside daily for risk mitigation. By planning a six hour day and leaving two hours aside each day for risk mitigation, it is possible not to fall short on time estimates. Many unexpected things could happen that turn timings awry, and by doing this it is possible to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Do not stretch or cut short sprint timings. The time frame for a sprint should not be stretched or curtailed, as otherwise the team will be tempted to neglect set timelines in the expectation that they will be reset.
Even if a story is unexpectedly big and cannot be completed in a sprint, at the end of the agreed-upon timeframe the sprint should end, and the items that were not completed should be moved to the top of the backlog for the next sprint. At the same time, if the stories are completed ahead of time in a sprint, then some smaller stories could be added to help keep the schedules on track. Managing backlogs Keep sprint backlog separate from product backlog. The product backlog is updated regularly, while the sprint backlog is kept frozen and can be referred back to at any time.
Do not mix up the two or combine them. Use task prioritisation techniques. Task prioritisation techniques such as MoSCoW, Business value approach, Kano model, Walking skeleton and so on can be used to prioritise tasks in the product backlog. Simple excel documents can list out backlog tasks and show the status and priority must, could or should are most frequently used terms.
Use the technique that makes best sense for your team, and that everyone is able to understand. Itemise user stories by assigning IDs. To cut through ambiguity, assign an ID to each user story so that the team knows exactly what is being discussed. Two user stories may sound similar but be different, and team members may think that a different story is being discussed.
Map functional and technical dependencies. Dependencies could be functional defined by stakeholders or technical defined by the engineering team. By mapping both types of dependencies, the workflow is smoothened and optimised, and bottlenecks can be identified and removed. Use a Scrum board. Many people work better when they have visual aids to guide them. A Scrum board is a very useful tool in this regard. The board is a visual representation of User stories, tasks that are yet to start, in progress and done.
It can also indicate blocks, testing tasks and reviews from the Product Owner. Tracking and predicting Use sprint burndown charts. Burndown charts that visually depict the progress of the sprint are a great visualisation tool that detects issues when they appear, and helps to resolve them before they escalate. Completed tasks per day are mapped against the planned tasks, giving an indication if the progress goes off track.
Use release burndown charts. Release burndown charts depict the sprints that are needed to complete, or release, the product. The team can decide whether they need to adjust the timeframe or not. Using these charts is a good practice to follow, especially if the product backlog was updated over the course of the project with new user requirements.
Chart velocity. By calculating the velocity, the progress of work can be charted against initial estimates, and used to better predict team commitments and results. If the velocity is changing a great deal, then the sprint planning must be revisited and made more reliable. Invest in good quality software. Tools that are built for Agile teams can help with project planning, time tracking and measurement of metrics. JIRA, Toggl, Git, and Slack are popular tools that are very supportive and can help to streamline and optimise workflows.
After all, the main premise of Agile is that you should be flexible, and adapt when the need arises! Though they seem similar, there are significant differences between the two. But in your quest for digital transformation which roles will you hire for? The Scrum Master vs Product Owner has been a long standing debate, despite the fact that both are indispensable roles in the Scrum software development methodology and play their part in Agile transformations.
Who is a Scrum Master? They do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organization. They do this by enabling the Scrum Team to improve its practices, within the Scrum framework. The Product Owner is one person, not a committee. The Product Owner may represent the needs of many stakeholders in the Product Backlog. The Scrum master should support the Product Owner in every step possible. There should be an amicable relationship between the Product Owner and the Scrum master.
Disputes may arise between the two, if the roles are not clarified. Scrum Master Product Owner Servant leadership: The day to day activity of a Scrum Master involves servant leadership where they are involved in performance planning, coaching, self- organization, removing obstacles, resolving conflicts and serving the team.
Stakeholder satisfaction: The first responsibility of the product owner is customer satisfaction and this they carry out by ensuring that customer requirements are given priority and there is transparency between development team and stakeholders. The product owner guarantees stakeholder satisfaction by ensuring product success, and building a product which meets business requirements. They need to ensure that the team is working as per Scrum and Agile principles and following processes.
Conflict resolver: Product owners may often come across unreasonable or difficult to handle stakeholders. Having conflict resolution skills will come in handy to diffuse any untoward situations or escalations that may arise with stakeholders or development team members. Technical familiarity: There is no doubt that having some technical competence will help a Scrum Master be better at the job.
Technical acumen will help a Scrum Master remove any impediments the team faces and build better products by providing the correct tools and techniques. Collaborator: A product owner is a great storyteller, which means that they are able to explain the vision of the product to the developers.
They need not necessarily have the technical skills to prepare user stories but they can effectively collaborate with those who can. SMs must ensure that work is allocated correctly, there is no slippage of tasks and deadlines are met. Prioritization skills: The Product Owner must have inherent prioritization skills in order to prioritise items on the backlog.
Soft Skills: A Scrum Master should have great interpersonal skills, should be a conflict manager with the ability to solve internal and external conflicts, should be an excellent communicator and must have empathy towards team members. Soft Skills: Good communication skills and being business savvy are paramount to being successful as a Product Owner.
Having to work with stakeholders and other parties means that Product Owners must be able to communicate the status of the product and other technical knowledge that the customer may wish to know. Similarly, they must be able to communicate to the team about the vision of the product and stakeholder expectations.
Scrum knowledge: What is a Scrum Master without Scrum knowledge? The primary responsibility of the Scrum Master is to guide the development team on all things Scrum and make sure that the development of the product is taking place according to Scrum and Agile principles and values. This will ensure that all benefits that are associated with Scrum and Agile are realised during the course of the project.
Scrum knowledge: The product owner must have knowledge of the product roadmap, release management, product backlog management, sprint planning, review and retrospectives, in order to maximise product value. This includes removing obstacles that may impede the team from performing. This involves helping them understand the reason for the product being built, its usefulness for the clients and stakeholders, how it can evolve in the future and what it is expected to achieve.
Giving the development team a correct vision of the product will help them work better. At the same time, the product owner must maintain a correct balance between the two and ensure that there is complete transparency and there is no over commitment on requirements to either side.
Arranges stand up meetings: The daily stand-up meetings are an essential part of Scrum. The Scrum Master facilitates these meetings and ensures that all issues are addressed and the team is able to perform towards reaching its sprint goal.
Meet with all those involved with the product: This includes meeting stakeholders, development team and all those who wish to discuss the product roadmap. These discussions could range from current product backlog items to future releases to any technical information the stakeholder may need.
Sets up an environment where the team can perform more effectively: The development team develops the product, and a happy team means a well-built product and satisfied customers. The team must be allowed to work in an environment that is free of distractions and conducive to innovation and research. The Scrum Master makes sure that such an environment is provided to the team. Maximises Product Value: The Product Owner maximises product value by identifying what items in the product backlog need to be tackled first.
We will help you become Scrum-qualified, enhancing your ability to develop and deliver high-quality products and apply Scrum concepts on the job. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. WhatsApp us. Difference Between Agile and Scrum. To comprehend the difference between Agile and Scrum, first, we must have a better understanding of- What is Agile?
What is Scrum? What is Agile? Author's Bio. Naveen Kumar Singh. Related Posts. September 27th, 0 Comments. Both are relatively easy to start down the path but difficult to master. Many organizations use scrum in combination with other agile principles and practices to organize their teams. However, even if scrum seems like a relatively easy framework to implement, there are changes needed on the individual and organizational level that scrum does not address. Requirements are defined upfront and the budget is allocated on a per-project basis.
As a result, by the time a version of the product gets to an end-user, it could be months or years with requirements that were possibly never revisited. Today, more and more competitors are coming to market trying to do what you do, but better and quicker. Customers can end up leaving you for competitors that provide the same services and products but are more responsive to their users' immediate needs.
The challenge with the waterfall methodology is its focus on having a fixed budget, scope, and schedule. Once the project nears completion, your development teams can be pressured to participate in death marches that require them to work nights and weekends, leading to major employee burnout.
They have received little to no feedback from the end-user and you now have a product that no longer matches the current needs of the user. Major changes to requirements require you to restart the entire waterfall process again or drop the project completely. This creates unnecessary waste of time and money and can have a negative impact on the morale of your employees who may be deeply invested in the success of the project they just finished.
Enter an agile framework like scrum — used to break down complex projects into smaller pieces so teams can continuously deliver value on a more frequent basis. The scope is made flexible by continuous refining of functionality that is added to the product backlog, the budget can be allocated and based on how well the product is performing, and the time frame is extended until the end of the product life cycle.
Agile approaches like scrum also place value on the individual, both on team members and the end-user. At first, it was born from a desire to move away from cumbersome software development approaches that could take years to deliver a product in its entirety. Several methods were evolved, including scrum, to find a way to shorten the time to market and deliver more value to customers, sooner. However, there was still a gap that none of the previous approaches had pinpointed.
The short story goes: In February , 17 people from different software development communities gathered at a ski resort in the mountains of Utah to talk about how software development could keep up with the changing needs of users.
What came out of that summit was not another framework, but a name for a collection of values and principles that encapsulated what these developers really sought - to consider people as the most important asset in the development process.
Agile did not start on those snowy mountains, nor did it end there. In many ways, agile is still an evolving collection of beliefs that has spawned a myriad of frameworks and methodologies focused on one thing: improving the world of work.
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