What is Agile?
Agile is an umbrella term used to describe several iterative and incremental software development frameworks, processes and techniques. Agile helps you embrace change and enable you to develop and release in rapid, flexible and incremental fashion.
Scrum is the most commonly used Agile framework. Other processes include XP (extreme programming), DSDM, Crystal and some variation of Kanban.
Learn more about Agile and the Scrum in one of our Scrum Master Certification courses.
Scrum is the most commonly used Agile framework. The Scrum Guide defines Scrum as
“A framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value”.
Scrum is a framework, which means you can use techniques from other Agile processes like XP etc. in Scrum projects. Learn more about Agile and the Scrum in one of our Scrum Master Certification courses.
XP (extreme programming) is an Agile software development process. It focussed on iterations (time-boxed short development cycles) to improve productivity, quality and responsiveness. Techniques like pair programming, unit testing and continuous integration stemmed from XP.
Several XP techniques are employed by Scrum Teams. Learn more about Agile and the Scrum in one of our Scrum Master Certification courses.
Why Agile and Scrum?
In today's fast changing marketplace ignoring Agile is not an option anymore.Agile and Scrum enables you to
- Respond to market changes deliberately while controlling risk
- Outpace your competition. Ship early and often.
- Build exactly what customers want. Not what you think they might want.
- Optimize productivity and total cost of ownership
Scrum is one way of achieving agility. Scrum is the most commonly used Agile framework.
What is Kanban?
Literally, Kanban means a signboard or a billboard.
Kanban is one of the systems to implement lean and just-in-time (JIT) production (or development). It was pioneered by Toyota. It helps determine what to do (produce or implement), when to do, and how much to do.
What is Lean?
In essence, Lean processes aim to deliver value with as less work as possible, reducing waste along the way. It stems from Toyota Production System. Lean focusses on optimizing flow, decreasing waste, increasing efficiency. It leverages empirical methods to bring to surface what matters most (in a system) rather than accepting “this is how things are done”.
Scrum Master - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is a Scrum Master?
Scrum Master ensures that the Scrum framework is used properly. The Scrum Master guides and coaches the Team and the Product Owner. The Scrum Master is a servant leader role. The Scrum Master removes impediments to enable the Team become productive.
Learn more about Scrum and the Scrum Master role in one of our
Scrum Master Certification coursesThe Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring Scrum is understood and enacted.
- The Scrum Master works with the Team and the Product Owner to enable the Team in value creation and delivery.
- The Scrum Master removes impediments to help the Team become productive.
- The Scrum Master guides and coaches the Team, the Product Owner and other stakeholders.
- The Scrum Master works as a facilitator and servant leader.
Learn more about Scrum and the Scrum Master role in one of our
Scrum Master Certification coursesThe Scrum Master is a management, or rather a leadership role. The Scrum Masters work as servant leaders. Instead of telling people what to do and exactly how to do it, Scrum Masters emphasise self organization. They work as a guide and a coach, helping teams and organizations understand and leverage the Scrum framework and Agile practices.
Does the Scrum Master need to be a technical person?
No. The Scrum Master is a servant leader role. The Scrum Master guides and coaches the Team and the Product Owner. No prior technical knowledge is required to become a Scrum Master.
Learn more about Scrum and the Scrum Master role in one of our
Scrum Master Certification coursesProduct Owner
What is a Product Owner?
The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing value and return on investment. The Product Owner represents the customer. The Product Owner manages the Product Backlog (requirements).
Learn more about Scrum and the Product Owner role in one of our
Scrum Product Owner Certification coursesThe Product Owner works with customers, stakeholders and the Team to maximize the value of the product.
The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the return on investment.
The Product Owner manages the Product Backlog.
Learn more about Scrum and the Product Owner role in one of our
Scrum Product Owner Certification coursesProduct Owner is essentially an Agile product manager. Product managers, programme managers, business managers or in other words people who are responsible for end to end product (or service) lifecycle are well suited to become Product Owners.
How do I become a Product Owner?
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Team - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is a Scrum Team?
The Scrum Team consists of the Scrum Master, the Product Owner and the development Team.
The development Team, normally referred to as the Team is a cross functional Team. It consists of people with all required skills to turn selected items from the Product Backlog to done increments of functionality.
Learn more about Scrum and Agile Teams, cross functional Teams, self-organization in one of our
Scrum Master Certification courses.The recommended size of a team is 3-9 people. Less than three hardly make a team, it’s a pair. In cases where the team consist of more than nine people, it becomes increasingly difficult for the team members to communicate effectively. The Sprint Planning, Review and Retrospectives are all time-boxed meetings, which require focus and decision making. Bigger teams find it very difficult to make decisions within the given time-boxes, do estimation, design, development, testing and other tasks in an effective and meaningful way. The Daily Scrum becomes a pain to run.
My team is not co-located, can I follow Agile and Scrum?
Studies after studies have shown that co-located teams are more productive than distributed teams. Communication and productivity suffer a bit in distributed teams. However, Scrum does not require teams to be co-located.
Who should be on the team?
Teams should consist of all the skills required to turn Product Backlog Items (requirements) into a product increment. They typically consist of architects, developers, tester, business analysts and DBAs etc.
Who manages the team?
Teams work as a self-organizing unit. The Product Owner sets the goal and direction. The Team is given resources and time to achieve these goals. The team decides how best it can achieve these goals, given the resource and time constraints. The Scrum Master helps the team remain product by removing any impediments.
How many projects should an Agile team work on at the same time?
Teams (and individuals for that matter) are most productive when they working one project at a time. In a given time period, let’s say in a year, Teams who remain focussed on one project get more projects done as compared to teams who focus on several projects at the same time.
Scrum does not require that the Team work only on one project at time, however, it will help the Team (and other around it) see the waste in productivity in cases when they are working on several projects a time.
What is Team Velocity?
The total work the Team is capable of completing in a Sprint is called velocity. When the Team is planning its first Sprint, it estimates its velocity. For subsequent Sprints, velocity is the amount of work done by the Team in the previous Sprint. This is a guidelines for the Team to plan its work.
Learn more about Scrum and Agile Teams, cross functional Teams, self-organization in one of our
Scrum Master Certification courses or the
Scrum Product Owner Certification courses.Product Backlog - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is a Product Backlog?
What should we put on the Product Backlog?
All the requirements, functional or non-functional, issues, bugs and documentation related work is put on the Product Backlog. It reflects all the work that a Team does. In other words, the Team does not do anything which is not on the Product Backlog.
Who creates the Product Backlog?
The Product Owner defines the vision and direction which the Product should take. The Product Owner may define the requirements on her own, or work with the Team to do so. Any member of the Team may create items on the Product Backlog. However, it is the Product Owner who manages the Product Backlog.
How often should we update the Product Backlog?
The Product Backlog is changed on need basis i.e. it keeps changing whenever there is a need to change it (a new item is created, existing one is changed, the order of the Product Backlog is changed). The part of the Product Backlog selected for the ongoing Sprint (reflected on the Sprint Backlog) does not change, the rest of the Product Backlog keeps changing.
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Sprint Backlog - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is Sprint Backlog?
The Sprint Backlog consists of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint and a plan for delivering these items. Usually, it consists of tasks, which are the breakdown of Product Backlog items.
The Sprint Backlog is the work that Team will do to turn selected Product Backlog items into a Done increment.
Learn more about Scrum and Agile Teams, cross functional Teams, self-organization in one of our
Scrum Master Certification coursesThe Sprint Backlog is created during the Sprint Planning meeting.
Who manages the Sprint Backlog?
The Sprint Backlog reflects the plan the Team has created for the Sprint. Essentially, the Team manages the Sprint Backlog.
What should be on the Sprint Backlog?
All the work that the Team has planned to carry out in the Sprint is put on the Sprint Backlog.
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User Stories - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is a User Story?
Who creates User Stories?
The Product Owner define the product vision. She may define the User Stories, or help the team create the User Stories.
How big should the User Stories should be?
At the beginning, the User Stories are typically large, very big, sometimes referred to as epics. The Team and Product Owner work together to break these large User Stories down into smaller ones. They aim to break the stories so that the Team is able to take multiple User Stories in every Sprint.
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Product Backlog Grooming
What is the Product Backlog grooming?
The Product Backlog is a living document that is updated continuously. It contains all the requirements, functional and non-functional. After a while, it tends to become messy. It needs regular upkeep, or grooming. The team and the Product Owner work together to get a better understanding of the Product Backlog Items for next 2-3 Sprints. They break smaller item down, refine and define items. The Product Owner may change the order of the Product Backlog.
As a result, the items at the top of the Product Backlog are ready to be taken into Sprint Planning. More details on Product Backlog grooming http://www.accelright.com/detail-Product-Backlog-Grooming_51.html.
When should we do the Product Backlog grooming?
The Product Backlog is groomed during the Sprint, but of course, the grooming effects the Product Backlog for next 2-3 Sprints, not the current Sprint.
Who should be involved when we do the Product Backlog grooming?
The Team and the Product Owner work together to groom the Product Backlog.
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Sprint - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is a Sprint?
Sprint is the heartbeat of Scrum. All work in Scrum is done during Sprints. Sprint is a time-boxed duration of time. It is usually 1-4 weeks long. Sprints start with a Sprint Planning meeting and end with a Sprint Review and Retrospective meeting. Teams develop increments of functionality during Sprints.
Learn more about Sprints, Sprint Planning, Retrospective and how Sprint helps you deliver value while controlling risk in our
Scrum Master Certification courses The recommended length of a Sprint is 1-4 weeks. If the Sprints are longer than a month, the business and technology risk becomes big and usually leads to waste and missed opportunities. This reduces agility.
What happens during the Sprint?
The team self organizes to work on the items, User Stories or other form of requirements. They turn these requirements into an increment.
What happens after the Sprint end?
The next one starts. Every Sprint starts with a Sprint Planning meeting and ends with the Retrospective meeting. After this, the Team kicks off the next Spring with the Sprint Planning meeting.
Can we change the length of our Sprints?
Yes, but not the length of the ongoing Sprint. You can change the length of upcoming Sprints, if needed.
What are Agile and Scrum Certifications?
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Sprint Planning - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is Sprint Planning?
Every Sprint starts with a Sprint Planning meeting. The Team works with the Product Owner to plan the work for the upcoming Sprint. They collaborate to help the Team select items (requirements) from the Product Backlog for the coming Sprint. The Scrum Master facilitates the meeting. It is a time-boxed meeting.
Learn more about Sprint Planning, Sprint Backlog, Release Planning in one of our
Scrum Master Certification courses. The whole Scrum Team i.e. the Product Owner, the Scrum Master and the Team. They may invite any stakeholders, if needed.
What is the output of a Sprint Planning meeting?
The Sprint Backlog. It defines which items the Team will work on and usually a breakdown of these items into tasks.
How often should we conduct Spring Planning meetings?
Every Sprint. Every Sprint starts with a Sprint Planning meeting. No exceptions.
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Sprint Review
What is Sprint Review?
At the end of the Sprint, the Team gets together with the Product Owner and stakeholders for the Sprint Review. They work together to see what was done during the Sprint and update the Product Backlog for the future work. It is a time-boxed meeting. The Scrum Master facilitates this meeting.
Learn more about Sprint Review and Product Backlog in one of our
Scrum Master Certification courses.The whole Scrum Team i.e. the Product Owner, the Scrum Master and the Team. They usually invite stakeholders and other people interested in the progress of this project.
What is the output of a Sprint Review meeting?
An updated Product Backlog. The Scrum Team removes the completed items and puts back any incomplete items to the Product Backlog.
How often should we conduct Spring Review meetings?
Every Sprint. No exceptions.
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Sprint Retrospective - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is Sprint Retrospective?
This is the last meeting in the Sprint. The Team, the Product Owner and the Scrum Master work together to reflect on the previous Sprint i.e. what went well during the Sprint, what didn’t go so well and what can they do to improve? Retrospective provides an opportunity for continuous improvement.
Learn more about Sprint Retrospective and continuous improvement in one of our
Scrum Master Certification courses. The whole Scrum Team i.e. the Product Owner, the Scrum Master and the Team. No external stakeholders.
What is the output of a Sprint Review meeting?
The Scrum Team selects a few improvements ideas it would implement during the next Sprint.
How often should we conduct Spring Review meetings?
Every Sprint. Every Sprint end with a Retrospective meeting. No exceptions.
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Sprint Burndown
What is the Sprint Burndown?
Sprint Burndown reflects remaining work in a Sprint across time.
Who creates the Sprint Burndown?
The data, estimates of remaining work, come from the Team. The Scrum Master may update the burndown chart. Many tools (even Excel spreadsheets) draw these charts given that the Team updates the remaining work and tasks.
How often is the Sprint Burndown updated?
Once a day.
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Increment - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is an increment?
Increment is the work that the Team produces during the Sprint. The aim to get a potentially shippable increment every Sprint.
What is the difference between an increment and a release?
Product Owner may release the increment at the end of every Sprint, or gather a few Sprints worth of work before releasing that.
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Definition of Done
What is Definition of Done?
It is the set of tasks (piece of work) the Team needs to carry out to ensure that they increment is shippable i.e. ready to go to the market. It defines ready to ship.
What’s the difference between Definition of Done and acceptance criteria?
Acceptance criteria is defined for each User Story (or Product Backlog Item). It applies to only that User Story. A Team usually works on several User Stories per Sprint. The Definition of Done defines what they would need to do to get the whole Sprint worth of work into ready-to-ship state. It applies to all of the items.
Who creates the Definition of Done?
The Team and the Product Owner work together to define the Done definition.
Who updates the Definition of Done and how often?
The Team and the Product Owner update the Definition of Done, on need basis. But they don’t change the Done definition for the ongoing Sprint.
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Release Planning - Agile and Scrum FAQ
What is release planning?
Organizations (and often customers) need to know how much a piece of functionality cost, how long would it take and what can they expect to get? This project planning but at a smaller level, release level. A release may consist of several Sprints.
The Scrum Team works together to plan the release. They discuss the requirements (part of the Product Backlog), estimates, resource requirements and other relevant issues during release planning meeting.
Who attends the release planning meeting?
The Scrum Team. They may invite stakeholders or other Teams they are working with.
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Release Burndown
What is release burndown?
Release burndown is the work remaining across time (Sprints) in the release. Sometimes it is referred to as Product Backlog burndown.
Who updates the release burndown?
The items (User Stories) come from the Product Owner and the Team. The Team estimates the work remaining. The Scrum Master may update the burndown chart. Many tools (even Excel spreadsheets) draw these charts given that the Team updates the estimates.
How often should we update the release burndown?
The Team only finds out completed work and thus the amount of work remaining at the end of each Sprint. So the release burndown is updated once a Sprint.
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