Recommended Scrum Presentations

For those, who not yet familiar with Scrum, I highly recommend to watch the “Scrum Training Series” presentations and the AgileMethodology.org website.

A Scrum Reference Card is also useful to understand what the Scrum is, it’s processes, roles and practices.

The presentations describes the Scrum process step by step.

Introduction to Scrum #

• What is Scrum? What is Agile? What is a Sprint? WARNING: Scrum rules and feedback loops are disruptive, exposing organizational impediments.
• Responsibilities of the Product Owner, Scrum Development Team, and Scrum Master.Definition of Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog. Five Scrum meetings and example schedule.
• Scrum Quiz, a practice test to help prepare for class and the Certified Scrum Master (CSM) exam, or others (PSM, PMI-ACP, etc.). You might prefer to return to the quiz after completing modules 2-6.

http://scrumtrainingseries.com/Intro_to_Scrum/Intro_to_Scrum.htm (HTML5 version)

Backlog Refinement Meeting (aka. Backlog Grooming) #

• When do we groom the product backlog? What is the purpose of the meeting? Who participates?
• Example epics.
• Example Bill Wake INVEST (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable) user stories.
• Example acceptance criteria (vs. definition of done).
• The roles of the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and self-organizing team in backlog refinement.
• Timeboxing the meeting.
• Relative effort estimation game (aka. Mike Cohn “Planning Poker”) variation with T-shirt sizes and story points.
• Scope control: Focusing on high business value work, deferring low ROI work, force-ranking the Product Backlog.
• Estimation vs. commitment.
• Gratuitous “Dukes of Hazzard” chase scene with banjo music.

http://scrumtrainingseries.com/BacklogRefinementMeeting/BacklogRefinementMeeting.htm (HTML5 version)

Sprint Planning Meeting #

• Purpose of the Sprint Planning meeting.
• The roles of the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Scrum Development Team in Sprint Planning.
• Sprint Planning Meeting timebox (maximum duration) and Sprint execution timebox. Example Product Backlog Items (PBIs, or user stories), Sprint Goals, and Sprint Tasks. - Difference between the Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog.
• Slack required for innovation.
• Two part Sprint Planning vs. commitment-based planning.
• Starting with a usable Product Backlog (thanks to continuous Backlog Refinement Meetings).
• Example schedule for a two-week Sprint.
• Definition of Done: Planning a Sprint that includes all activities needed to develop a potentially shippable product increment, particularly testing.
• The Lean principle of reducing work in progress (WIP).
• The self managing team’s ownership of its commitments. Saying “no” when necessary.

http://scrumtrainingseries.com/SprintPlanningMeeting/SprintPlanningMeeting.htm (HTML5 version)

Daily Scrum Meeting (aka. 15-minute Standup) #

• What is the purpose of the standup? When do we have the meeting?
• Example answers to the three questions: What I did yesterday, what I will do today, what impedes me.
• Organizational impediments and the role of the Scrum Master during Sprint execution.
• Team self organization during the Sprint. (“The team is utterly self managing.” – Ken Schwaber)
• Team’s use of the taskboard (sometimes mislabeled “Kanban board”) to represent the Sprint Backlog.
• Example Sprint Tasks.
• Team’s collective ownership of Product Backlog Items and Sprint Tasks.
• Less skilled team member as point person of a Sprint Task.
• Cursory overview of Agile engineering practices: Pair programming, Test-Driven Development (TDD), refactoring, and continuous integration.
• Should the Product Owner attend the Daily Scrum?
• Use of the sidebar to stay within the 15-minute timebox.
• Involving traditional QA people in Agile development. What happens when team members ignore team agreements?

http://scrumtrainingseries.com/DailyScrumMeeting/DailyScrumMeeting.htm (HTML5 version)

Sprint Review Meeting #

• What is the purpose of the Sprint Review Meeting? When do we have the Sprint Review Meeting?
• Extrinsic manipulation (e.g. praise) considered harmful to intrinsic motivation and transparency.
• Demonstrate a potentially shippable (properly tested) product increment every Sprint, even if it’s small.
• Stick to clear goals each Sprint, avoid temptation to work outside agreed scope.
• We usually discover new things to do faster than we get things done. Add newly discovered requirements to the Product Backlog.
• The Product Owner’s role in scope control, reprioritization and release plan adjustment every Sprint. The Product Owner publically declares which PBIs are done.
• How to measure velocity using story points. What is the purpose of velocity? When are metrics harmful?
• Definition of done. Incomplete work returned to the Product Backlog for reprioritization.
• Outside stakeholders attend the Sprint Review Meeting, provide feedback at the end.

http://scrumtrainingseries.com/SprintReviewMeeting/SprintReviewMeeting.htm (HTML5 version)

Sprint Retrospective Meeting #

• What is the purpose of the Sprint Retrospective Meeting? When do we have the Sprint Retrospective Meeting?
• Only learning teams and learning organizations will thrive in the future. A Scrum Master must create this environment for learning, despite the traditional habit of focusing on micro-efficiency.
• To remain a neutral facilitator, Scrum Master has a role outside the team. (Note to certification candidates: Some tests may require you to answer that the Product Owner and Scrum Master are “on the team,” an unfortunate oversimplification.)
• Why we need status leveling techniques.
• How to conduct a safety check. (Example responses shown were a real team’s actual responses. Note the point spread!)
• The invisible gun no one will tell you you’re wearing.
• Group size, unclear Product Ownership, contract relationships, and geographic distribution are usually impediments to full safety.
• Classic Scrum Retrospective (What went well? What could be improved? What did we learn? What still puzzles us?) and example actions.
• People tend to push for particular solutions before agreeing on the problems. Focused conversation principles (ORID: Objective questions, Reflective questions, Interpretive questions, Decision questions) can help.
• Use silent writing to elicit multiple perspectives.
• Retrospective is for the team, not those outside it.
• An example timeline retrospective.
• As the team matures, the Scrum Master’s role shifts toward transforming the outer organization.
• Effective decision making for teams.

http://scrumtrainingseries.com/SprintRetrospectiveMeeting/SprintRetrospectiveMeeting.htm (HTML5 version)