A swift look at the relationship between Agile & SCRUM, then a deep dive into the practicalities and basics of SCRUM. Presented at General Assembly NYC in July 2014 to the Product Management class.
2. What is Agile?
Individuals and interactions
Working software
Customer collaboration
Responding to change
over processes and tools
over comprehensive documentation
over contract negotiation
over following a plan
THE AGILE MANIFESTO
While there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
http://www.agilealliance.org
3. What is SCRUM?
A simple set of principles and practices that help teams deliver products in
short cycles, enabling fast feedback, continual improvement, and rapid
adaptation to change.
SCRUM is a framework.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(software_development)
4. How is this Useful?
AS A BUSINESS
Bring Discipline and Focus to collaborative efforts
Supplying the organisational alignment needed to execute
large scale, complex, products across whole organisations
AS A PRODUCT OWNER
Work in alignment with a dedicated team
Ability to reduce waste, collaborate and fail fast (therefore cheaply)
6. Roles
Voice of the Customer
Responsible for ROI
Subject Matter Expert
Data Orientated
Available to theTeam
Servant Leader
Facilitator
Communicator
Collaborator
Removes Impediments
Problem Solver
Cross functional
Execute from inception to delivery
Ideally co-located
RESPONSIBILITIES
Sprint Planning Meeting
- Bring prioritised product backlog,
enough for 1 to 2 sprints
- Be ready and willing to negotiate on
acceptance criteria
Daily Scrums
- Listen and Learn
- Breakout to discuss detail afterwards
- Resolve your impediments quickly
Sprint Review
- Accept or reject each item
- Nothing new
- Provide feedback to team
Retrospective
- Participate as a team member
MOST IMPORTANTLY
- Be available to the team
- Be a subject matter expert
- Be ready with data
8. Product Backlog
- Artefacts -
Future Releases
Current Sprint
Next Release
Increasing Detail
Increasing Priority
EPIC EPIC
THEME THEME
THEME THEME THEME
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
DEV TASKS DEV TASKS DEV TASKS DEV TASKS
10. Sprint Backlog
- Artefacts -
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
INVEST
I - Independent - you can schedule and implement in any order
N - Negotiable - must be able to change after conversation
V - Valuable - must deliver business and customer value
E - Estimable - must be able to judge size and complexity
S - Small - consumable by a team in 1 sprint
T - Testable - easy to see when the story is done
12. Tools &Techniques
Velocity
The rate at which work is
completed by the team
during the Sprint
Estimation
A guess at effort required based
on complexity and comparative
size, made during Sprint
Planning
Burndown
A simple visual
representation of how
much work is completed
over time
SCRUM Board
A highly visible, easily accessible
way of tracking progress and
highlighting problems.
Definition of DONE!
A statement which defines
your quality
Team Norms
A documented, shared
understanding of
expected behaviours
14. Tools &Techniques
Velocity
The rate at which work is
completed by the team
during the Sprint
Estimation
A guess at effort required based
on complexity and comparative
size, made during Sprint
Planning
Burndown
A simple visual
representation of how
much work is completed
over time
SCRUM Board
A highly visible, easily accessible
way of tracking progress and
highlighting problems.
Definition of DONE!
A statement which defines
your quality
Team Norms
A documented, shared
understanding of
expected behaviours
15. Estimation
-Tools &Techniques -
To many unknowns to estimate with any
accuracy as to when the project will be done.
But everyone is still asking...
Get me an estimate for this...
yet to be spec’d system, using our
yet to be determined technology, with our
yet to be determined team, in our
yet to be determined business environment
to be built next year.
What we need is a way of estimating that...
- Allows budgets to be created
- Plans for the future
- Reminds us that estimates are guesses
- Acknowledges the complexities and
uncertainties that come with writing software
16. Estimation
-Tools &Techniques -
1. Keep It Simple
One number to the whole story - include whatever it will take your cross functional team to deliver.
No separate estimates for development, analysis or testing.
Remember - a little effort goes a long way - discuss, best guess, move on.
Staring at the unknown IS NOT going to make your estimate any more accurate.
2. Make it Relative
We are better at making relative comparisons - so this rock is twice the size of that
rock and so on.
3. Points do not equate to time
Points are a unit-less measure of complexity and size.
So use whatever you like - the fibonacci sequence, pigs, cows, chickens, cats, rocks.
18. Burndown
-Tools &Techniques -
Number of points
in Sprint Backlog
Number of days in Sprint
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
a ‘perfect’ rate of work team is on track to
complete all work be
end of sprint
oh dear...
19. Velocity
-Tools &Techniques -
Number of
points
accomplished
in previous
Sprints
Number of Sprints
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Velocity
Once we know how
fast the team can go...
and our User Stories
are sized relatively...
we can start setting
expectations around
dates.
USER
STORY
99
USER
STORY
9
USER
STORY
20. SCRUM Board
-Tools &Techniques -
TO DO IN PROGRESS DONE
USER
STORY
99
DEV TASKSDEV TASKS
BURNDOWN
USER
STORY
USER
STORY
9
USER
STORY
80
USER
STOR
110
USER
STORY
90
DEV TASKS
DEV TASKS
DEV TASKS
DEV TASKS
DEV TASKS
DEV TASKS
SPRINT CALENDAR
> Sprint Planning - Friday 4th
> Dev Starts - Monday 7th
> Dev Ends - Friday 18th
VELOCITY
TEAM
DEV TASKS
DEV TASKS
DEV TASKS
TEAM HOLIDAYS
> Shaun - Monday 7th - Friday 11th
> David -Thursday 10th - Friday 11th
RELEASE SCHEDULE
> Sprint 7 of 80
> Branch X
> Merge onTuesday’s toY
Team Eagles
23. Ceremonies
Runs constantly in
parallel to the sprint
Lead by the Product Owner
At the start of every sprint
The whole team takes part
3 - 4h
Same time & place everyday
The whole team takes part
15min
At the end of every sprint
The whole team takes part
30min - 1h
Runs for 2 - 3
weeks
At the end of every sprint
The whole team takes part
30min - 1h
24. Product Backlog Grooming
- Ceremonies -
Some detail
More detail
No detail
3 days max!
Must share back in Review
25. Sprint Planning
- Ceremonies -
PRODUCT OWNER
Brings top priority User
Stories with Acceptance
criteria and priorities
Be prepared to
negotiate on priority
SCRUM MASTER
Facilitates
Sprint board is updated
Velocity is recalculated and confirmed
TEAM
Discusses each User Story and raises any
impediments or dependancies immediately
Breaks User Stories down into tasks with
sufficient level of detail to execute
Estimates and commits to completing the work
in a single sprint
CRITICAL
-Time boxed at 3 - 4h
- Sprint backlog is agreed and
committed to by all
-Team does not over commit on story
points
26. Sprint
- Ceremonies -
PRODUCT OWNER
Be available SCRUM MASTER
Ensure everyone takes part and holds
to Working Agreements
Ensures the Sprint Board and
Burndown is updated
TEAM
‘What did you do yesterday?’
‘What are you doing today?’
‘Any blockers?’
CRITICAL
- Same time, Same place - EVERYDAY!
- It’s not a status report, it’s alignment
- 15min max
- Include remote team members
27. Review
- Ceremonies -
PRODUCT OWNER
Be available
Provide feedback
Share with stakeholders
SCRUM MASTER
Facilitates
Ensure everyone takes part and
holds to Working Agreements
UpdatesVelocity based on points
completed TEAM
Show the work that you have
accomplished, even if it’s ‘just code’
Maintain trust but not hiding
undone work
CELEBRATE!
CRITICAL
-Time boxed at 30min - 1h
- At end of every Sprint
- Make it constructive & positive
28. Retrospective
- Ceremonies -
TEAM
Uphold the Working
Agreement
Communicate
Collaborate
SCRUM MASTER
Facilitates
Ensure everyone takes
part and holds to
Working Agreements
PRODUCT OWNER
Take part as a member
of the team
CRITICAL
-Time boxed at 30min - 1h
- Every sprint, after Review
- Make it constructive & positive
30. > Create a prioritised roadmap with Epics,Themes & User Stories (4m)
> Hold a Backlog Grooming Session and estimate your top priority User Stories (4m)
> Hold a Sprint Planning session and create a Sprint Backlog
- remember to create and estimate tasks, also include acceptance and performance criteria (8m)
> Create a sprint board and run a 3 day sprint, including daily stand-ups
- 1 minute per day, 2 minutes per stand-up (5m)
> Hold a showcase to the rest of the class on your roadmap, backlog and board (1m x 3 = 3m)
In Summary
- Exercise -
Aditi.
Riding a Unicorn.
Putting out a fire.
Saving kittens.
Acceptance criteria
- take a photo of your drawing
and email to x@x.com
- with a haiku
