Definition
It’s a set of rules that helps people, teams and organizations to generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. Is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. It’s pillars are Transparency, Inspection and Adaption. Combines four formal events for inspection and adaption within a Sprint.
Pillars
Transparency: Process and work must be visible to those performing the work, as well those receiving the work. Transparency enables Inspection.
Inspection: The Scrum artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog & Increment) and progress must be inspected frequently to detect potentially undesirable variances or problems. To help with inspection, scrum provides cadence in the form of its five events (Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective). Inspection enables adaption.
Adaption: If any aspects of a process deviate outside acceptable limits or if the resulting product is unacceptable, the process being applied or the materials being produced must be adjusted. That adjustment must be made as soon as possible to minimize further deviation. Adaption becomes more difficult when the people involved are not empowered or self-managing. A Scrum Team is expected to adapt the moment it learns anything new through inspection.
Values
Scrum successfulness depends on people becoming more proficient in living five values
Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage
The Scrum Teams commits to achieving it’s goals and to supporting each other. Their primary focus is on the work of the Sprint to make the best possible progress toward these goals. The Scrum team and it’s stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges and have the courage to work on tough problems.
When these values are embodied by the Scrum Team and the people they work with, then the scrum pillars of transparency, inspection and adaptation come to life building trust.
Team
Consists of a small team of people 1 Scrum Master, 1 Product Owner and Developers, where that are no sub-teams or hierarchies focused on the objective of the Product Goal. Is small enough to remain nimble (quick and light in movement) and large enough to complete significant work within a Sprint.
Working in Sprints at a sustainable pace improves the Scrum Team’s focus and consistency.
The entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint.
Developers are always accountable for: creating a plan for the Sprint (Sprint Backlog), establishing the quality by adhering to a Definition of Done, adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal and holding each other accountable as professionals (means that you require them to answer for their actions and so encourage them to improve their performance)
Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team also for the effective Product Backlog management which includes : Developing and communicating the Product Goal, Creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items, ordering Product Backlog items, and Ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood.
The entire organization must respect their decisions, which are visible via the content and ordering of the Product Backlog, and through the inspectable Increment at the Sprint Review.
Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide, by helping everyone practice the Scrum theory and for the Scrum Team’s effectiveness.
Serves the team in several ways:
● Coaching the team members in cross-functionality
● Helping the team to focus on creating high-value increments that meet DOD
● Remove of impediments
● Ensure that all events take place are positive, productive and kept within timebox
Serves the PO in several ways:
● Assisting on finding techniques for effective Goal definition and backlog management
● Helping the Scrum team understand the need for clear and consists PBIs
● Helping establish empirical product planning for a complex environment
● Facilitating stakeholder collaboration as requested or needed
Serves the organization in several ways:
● Leading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption
● Planning and advising Scrum implementations within the organization
● Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact on Scrum
● Remove barriers between stakeholders and Scrum Teams
Events:
Scrum events are designed to provoke change and an opportunity to inspect and adapt artifacts through the Sprint. Also are designed to enable the transparency required and failure to operate them will result in lost opportunities to inspect and adapt. Events are used in Scrum to create regularity and to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.Sprint
Is where business needs are turned into value and they have fixed length events of one month or less, to create consistency. All the work needed to achieve the Goal, along with the events, happen within Sprints.
During the Sprint:
● No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal
● Quality does not increase
● The Product Backlog is refined as needed
● Scope may be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as more is learned
Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint.
Sprint Planning (max 8h for 1month Sprint)
Initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed for the Sprint, which is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team. The PO ensures that attendees are prepared to discuss the most important Product Backlog items and how they map to the Product Goal.
Sprint Planning addresses the following topics:
1.Why is this Sprint valuable?
The PO proposes how the product could increase it’s value and utility in the current Sprint. The whole Scrum Team then collaborates to define a Sprint Goal that communicates why the Sprint is valuable to stakeholders. The Sprint Goal must be finalized prior to the end of Sprint Planning.
2. What can be Done this Sprint?
Through discussion with the PO, the Developers select items from the Product Backlog to include in the current Sprint. The Scrum Team may refine these items during this process, which increases understanding and confidence. Selecting how much can be completed may be challenging. However the more the Developers know about their past performance, their upcoming capacity and their Definition of Done, the more confident they will be in their Sprint forecasts.
3. How will the chosen work get done?
For each selected PBI, the Developers plan the work necessary to create an Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This often done by decomposing Product Backlog items into smaller work items of one day or less. How this is done is at the sole discretion of the Developers. Sprint Backlog = Sprint Goal + Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, + the plan for delivering them.
Daily Scrum (15min for the DEVs)The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting planned work.
Takes place every same time and place to reduce complexity. If the PO or SM are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog, they participate as Developers.
This event improve communications, identify impediments, promote quick decision-making and eliminate the need for other meetings.Sprint Review (max 4hours for 1month Sprint)
The purpose of that is to inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed.
During that event is shown what was accomplished and what has changed in their environment. Based on that attendees collaborate on what to do next and that can lead to adjustments of the Product Backlog. It’s a working session and the Scrum Team should avoid limiting it to a presentation.
Sprint Retrospective (Max 3hours for 1month Sprint) The purpose of it is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. The Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regards, to individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of Done. The origins of assumptions that led work away from the correct path are identified and explored.
The Scrum Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems if encountered, and how those problems were (or were not) solved. The team identifies the most helpful changes to improve its effectiveness and the most impactful improvements are address as soon as possible. The may even be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint.
The Sprint Retrospective concludes the Sprint.
Artifacts
Represent work or value. They are designed to maximizes transparency of key information. Thus, everyone inspecting them has the same basis for adaptation. Each artifact contains a commitment to ensure it provides information that enhances transparency and focus against which progress can be measured.
->Product Backlog is the Product Goal
->Sprint Backlog is the Sprint Goal
->Increment is the Definition of Done
Product Backlog
Is an order list of what is needed to improve or create a product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team.
PBIs that can be Done by the Scrum Team within one Sprint are deemed ready for selection in a Sprint Planning event. After refining activities they become more transparent. Product Backlog refinement is the act of breaking down and further defining Product Backlog items into smaller more precise items. This is an ongoing activity to add details, such as a description, order and size. Attributes often vary with the domain of work. The Developers who will be doing the work are responsible for the sizing and the PO may influence the Developers by helping the understand and select trade-offs.
Product Goal commitment: Describes a future state of the product which can server as a target for the Scrum Team to plan against. The Product Goal is in the Product Backlog and is the long-term objective for the Scrum Team. The rest of the Product Backlog emerges to define what will fulfill the Product Goal.
Sprint Backlog
Is composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), as well as an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how).
The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers. It is a highly visible, real-time picture of the work that the Developers plan to accomplish during the Sprint in order to achieve the Sprint Goal. Consequently, the Sprint Backlog is updated through the Sprint as more is learned. It should have enough detail that they can inspect their progress in the Daily Scrum.
Sprint Goal Commitment: is the single object for the Sprint. Although the Sprint Goal is a commitment by the Developers, it provides flexibility in terms of the exact work needed to achieve it. The Sprint Goal also creates coherence and focus, encouraging the Scrum Team to work together rather than on separate initiatives.
The Sprint Goal is created during the Sprint Planning event and then added to the Sprint Backlog. If the work turns out to be different than they expected, they collaborate with the PO to negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint without affecting the Sprint Goal.
IncrementAn increment is a concrete stepping toward the Product Goal. Each increment is an addition to the previous ones, ensuring that all increments work together. In order to provide value, the increment must be usable. The sum of the increments is presented at the Sprint Review and may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. Work cannot be considered part of an Increment unless it meets the Definition of Done.
Definition of Done Commitment: formal description of the state of the increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The definition of done creates a transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the increment and the developers are required to conform to the definition of done,
Sources:
The Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber & Jeff Sutherland
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