The Art of Doing Effective Scrum

by

Mohammed JavidPSM, CSM, PMI-ACP, CSP, Safe Agilist

What is Scrum?

Scrum is a framework for developing and sustaining complex products.

• Lightweight

• Simple to understand

• Difficult to Master

It is a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.

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Scrum Framework

Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach to optimize predictability and control risk

Maximizing opportunities for feedback

The team model in Scrum is designed to optimize flexibility, creativity and productivity.

Scrum has roles, events, artifacts and rules that bind them

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What is Scrum Theory?

Scrum is founded on empirical process control theory

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When the values of commitment, courage, focus, openness and respectare embodied and lived by the Scrum Team, the Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life and build trust for everyone.

Is Scrum a Process?

Scrum is not a defined process, it is a process framework.

It is not a process or a technique.

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It is a framework within which you can employ various processes and techniques.

It is a simple framework, do not overload it.

What is the use of Scrum?

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Scrum makes clear the relative efficacy of your product management and development practices so that you can improve.

Tuckman’s Stages of Team Dynamics

The team dynamics takes the team through the stages of transition from forming, storming, norming to performing.

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Team Dynamics

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Each member of the team also passes through the individual phases of forming, storming, norming to performing.

Effective Scrum

Effective Scrum:It is not about following Scrum processes religiously.It is about being Scrum within the given Team Dynamics.Avoid shortcuts.First follow Scrum as in Scrum guide, master it then innovate changes if required.Focus on working software not on process.

Scrum Guide:

Other sources provide you with patterns, processes, and insights that complement the Scrum framework. These optimize productivity, value, creativity, and pride.

Specific tactics for using the Scrum framework vary.

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Team Dynamics

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Team Dynamics

Forming Storming Norming Performing

Activities and games

Conduct Individual Activities to them feel wanted

Team Activities with focus on Individual contributions towards the team

Team Activities with focus on group contribution

Retain team motivationDo not leave the team orphan

Velocity Go Slow Go Slow Establish velocity of team Set for higher targets of velocity

Technical Debt May get increasing

Avoid any increase in technical debt Reduce the technical debts

Set higher targets for technical debt reduction

Team Building

Allow settling downObserve the individuals Remove odd one out

Empower the teamInspect each member Team will show signs of self managed, self organized

Team will demonstrate high levels of commitment, will be self managed, self organized

ConflictsUsually no Conflicts, let team settle down

Conflicts will raise naturally. Prevent conflicts from going to extremes

If the team starts to listen to one individual it is risky, create positive conflicts

Encourage positive criticism, it leads to better ideas

Targets No targets yet

Set Individual targets to create some positive conflicts

Set team targets and not individual targets

Set higher targetsKeep rising the barAllow the team to breathe

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Team Dynamics

Forming Storming Norming Performing

‘I' versus 'We' Will refer as 'I' Will refer as 'I' Transition from 'I' to 'We' Will refer to 'We'

Solutioning No solutions yetWill try to propose individual solutions

Will demonstrate team morale by considering each problem as a team problem and discuss on the solution Will own the solution as a team

CommunicationHesitation to Communicate

Only few will communicate

Cross cultural teams get more comfortable when there are more interactions Teams will communicate freely

Ideas No ideas flowingWill try to push individual ideas Will listen to team ideas Will encourage team ideas

RetrospectionNeed to provoke for Ideas

Few ideas with no support

Will need to be provoked to get ideas from all

Ideas will flow freely -continuous improvement

Sprint PlanningSprint goal will be frequently not met

Sprint goal will be occasionally met Will aim to achieve Sprint goal

Will achieve Sprint goal and stretch goal

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Scenario 1 – Management: Team is taking longer time for the work

Are you focusing on time tracking of the team?

Are you focusing more on the process?

Suggestions:Be concerned about forming the balanced team.Be concerned about your Team DynamicsAllow breathing space for teamHave trust in your team Avoid multi taskingHave regular fun activities at work placeBe concerned on enabling the team to move towards high performing team

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Scenario 2 – Product Owner: I do not believe in Story Points estimate

Scrum Guide:

The number of items selected from the Product Backlog for the Sprint is solely up to the Development Team. Only the Development Team can assess what it can accomplish over the upcoming Sprint.

Suggestions:Focus on whether the team has understood the requirementsCreate user stories with acceptance criteriaCreate stories adhering to INVEST mnemonic Measure the Product Backlog after each Sprint

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Scenario 3 – Scrum Team: Requirements are changed within the Sprint

Scrum Guide:

When a Sprint’s horizon is too long the definition of what is being built may change, complexity may rise, and risk may increase.

Suggestions:Avoid changes during SprintDetermine the Sprint cycle that is best suited to your team.Do not worry about failing fast.How long the newly identified priority items can wait?

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Scenario 4 – Scrum Team: We have good individuals but not getting the result

Suggestions:Look over someone’s shoulder Help to find bugs, help in resolving technical issues, help in testingPair Programming

What happens if the team is not self-organizing and cross-functional?

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Scenario 5 – Scrum Team: Daily stand up is not effective

What happens if the team is not self-organizing and cross-functional?

Suggestions:

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a conversation is worth a thousand emails.

Share the Same Truth

Cry like a child – Mention Impediments

Publicise yourself – Mention your achievements

Be Alert – Others in the team are listening actively

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Scenario 6 – Scrum Master: Retrospection is not effective

Suggestions:

Start by thanking for efforts of the team in last Sprint

Break the initial silence in the team

Act as a mirror to the team

Ensure atleast 1 priority retrospection findings is closed in each Sprint

In case of distributed teams have the retrospection through Video Conference calls which increases interactions between members

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Scenario 7 – General: Scrum Master role is clubbed with other roles of Scrum

What will happen if the Umpire plays the dual role of umpiring as well as batting?

Suggestion:Have a separate person playing the Scrum Master role to avoid any bias

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Scenario 8 – General: Sprints Completed but Product is not Ready

What happens if Definition of Done is not appropriately defined? Are the user stories getting Done in isolation?

Suggestions:

No Partial Credit

Add the technical debt to Backlog

Validate, Are we building potentially shippable product at end of each Sprint?

Have stringent DoD as team matures

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Effective Scrum – High Performance Team

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Questions

Thank You

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