Scrum, Yay or Nay

Riza Nugraha

What is Scrum?

• a process framework
• consist of powerful set of principles and practices
• short cycles
• fast feedback
• continual improvement
• adaptation to change.

Scrum Theory

• Transparency
   Process must be visible to those responsible for the outcome.
• Inspection
  Frequently inspect Scrum artefacts and progress toward a Sprint Goal to detect undesirable variances.
• Adaptation
  Adjust as soon as possible when aspects of process deviate outside acceptable limit.

Scrum Important Elements

• 3 Roles
• 3 Artefacts
• 3 Ceremonies

3 Roles

Where's the Project Manager?

Product Owner

• 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; and,
• Ensuring the Development Team understands items in the Product Backlog to the level needed.

Development Team

• 3 - 9 team members
• Self-organizing
• Cross-functional
• No titles, only developer
• No sub-teams
• Individual Development Team members may have specialized skills and areas of focus, but accountability belongs to the Development Team as a whole.

Scrum Master

• ​Responsible for ensuring Scrum is understood and enacted.
• Ensure Scrum team adheres to Scrum theory, practices & rules.
• Helps those outside the Scrum Team understand which of their interactions with the Scrum Team are helpful and which aren’t.
• Helps everyone change these interactions to maximize the value.

Scrum Master Service to Product Owner

• Finding techniques for effective Product Backlog management;

• Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items;

• Understanding product planning in an empirical environment;

• Ensuring the Product Owner knows how to arrange the Product Backlog to maximize value;

• Understanding and practicing agility; and,

• Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed.

Scrum Master Service to Development Team

• Coaching the Development Team in self-organization and cross-functionality;

• Helping the Development Team to create high-value products;

• Removing impediments to the Development Team’s progress;

• Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed; and,

• Coaching the Development Team in organizational environments in which Scrum is not yet fully adopted and understood.

Scrum Master Service to Organization

• Leading and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption;

• Planning Scrum implementations within the organization;

• Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact Scrum and empirical product development;

• Causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team; and,

• Working with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization.

Project Manager's New Role

• Scrum Master

  • Facilitator
• Product Owner
  • Don't manage, but work with them
• Stay as PM (if project is Big)
  • Budget etc
  • As stake holder

3 Artefacts

Product Backlog

• List of items need to be built or done. (PBI's)

• Prioritised.

• PBI's are consulted by PO to the stakeholders & team to make sure what they want and what can be built.

• Refined & estimated by people who are going to do it.

• Only single product backlog exists.

Product Backlog Item

• Can be features, bug-fixes, non-functional requirements.

• Articulated in any way that is clear and sustainable.

• Able to be demonstrated & potentially shippable.

• Estimated in story points (e.g. t-shirt sizes or Fibonacci numbers).

• Has clear Definition of Done that everyone agrees and creates visible values.

Sprint Backlog

• Set of PBI's selected for the Sprint.

• A forecast by the Development Team about what functionality will be in the next Increment.

• Only the Development Team can change its Sprint Backlog during a Sprint.

• Once is committed, no additional work can be added to the Sprint Backlog except by the team.

• The amount of completed PBI's becoming the Team's Velocity

Monitoring Sprint Backlog

•  Development Team tracks this total work remaining
• As work is performed or completed, the estimated remaining work is updated
• Remove elements of the plan are deemed unnecessary

Burndown Chart

• Graphical representation of work left to do versus time.

• Useful for predicting when all of the work will be completed.

3 Ceremonies

Sprint Planning

• Collaborative meeting among Scrum team.

• Look at top of backlog and forecast how much of it they can complete in this sprint

• Should take number of points (Velocity) from last sprint

• Time-boxed to a max of 2 hrs for a 2 weeks Sprint.

• Committed items should not be changed.

2h

Daily Standup

• Everyday <= 15 minutes

• Development Team & Scrum Master

• To answer following

  • What did you do to help the team finish the Sprint?

  • What will you do today to help the team finish the Sprint?

  • Is there any obstacle blocking you or team from achieving Sprint Goal?

15'

Sprint Review/Demo

• Time boxed to 2h for 2 weeks sprint.

• Attended by not only everyone but also stakeholders, customers, managers, whoever.

• PO shows what's been accomplished (and not).

• Dev team summarised what's going well and what's problem ran into.

• Dev Team demonstrates the work that it has “Done” and answers questions about the Increment;

2h

Sprint Review/Demo

cont'd

• The PO discusses the Product Backlog as it stands, projects completion dates based on progress.
• Review what is the most valuable thing to do next; and,
• Review of the timeline, budget, potential capabilities, and marketplace for the next anticipated release of the product.
• Resulted a revised Product Backlog that defines the probable Product Backlog items for the next Sprint.

2h

Putting them all together

Backlog Refinement

• The act of adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the Product Backlog.

• Ongoing process between Product Owner & Development Team.

• Product backlog can be updated by Product Owner anytime with his own discretion

Sprint Retrospective

• 1,5h duration for 2 weeks sprint

• 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; and,

• Create a plan for implementing improvements to the way the Scrum Team does its work.

• Solution oriented, emotional maturity in order to be effective.

Are we Scrum enough?

Challenges

• Difficulties on promoting Scrum to potential clients.
• Most clients want to know how long one project will take upfront.
• Developer involves in multiple projects.
• Stakeholders reluctancy to participate in Scrum ceremonies.
• Our knowledge of Scrum.

Where do we go from here?

• Training
• Books
• Youtube Videos

Common Values from the Agile Manifesto

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

Scrum Values

• Focus
• Courage
• Openness
• Commitment
• Respect

Summary

• Scrum is a simple yet powerful set of principles and practices that help teams deliver products in short cycles, enabling fast feedback, continual improvement, and rapid adaptation to change.
• Three important elements in Scrum:
  • ​Roles: Product Owner, Development Team & Scrum Master.
  • Artefacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog & Burndown Chart.
  • Ceremonies: Sprint Planning, Daily Standup & Sprint Review
• Scrum Values : Focus, Courage, Openness, Commitment & Respect.

References

• https://www.scrumalliance.org

• https://www.scrum.org/

• https://www.scruminc.com/

Thank you.