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Recommended Scrum Presentations

Project Management Agility
Table of Contents

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 #

Introduction to Scrum Presentation

  • 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) #

Backlog Refinement Meeting Presentation

  • 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) #

Daily Scrum Meeting Presentation

  • 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 #

Sprint Review Meeting Presentation

  • 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 #

Sprint Retrospective Meeting Presentation

  • 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)

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