• Create and estimate user stories
• Effortlessly create and maintain product backlogs
• Define and design your sprints
• Identify team progress and velocity through dynamically generated burndown and
• velocity charts
• Visualise the entire team activity on a “single” platform
• Avail customised reports to get an insight about your project’s status.

QUICKSCRUM SCRUM TOOL ADVANTAGES

For IT development companies, and organisations developing computer and digital-devices
(smartphones, tablets, digital diaries, etc.) software projects, one of the
 most important, and also the most troublesome issue is encountering “bugs” or defects in
 the code functionality when a particular application, or a system, is deployed and used in
a live environment. Software bugs can be very common. Ever since computers were
designed in the yearly years, bugs have inadvertently, or otherwise, kept on troubling
coders and project managers, and have tested their ingenuity to resolve them to the
fullest extent possible. Ask any seasoned programmer – He or she will tend to initially
confer, and eventually say that the word “Bug” is aptly named – It tends to “bug” you!
Etymology of the word “Bug”
It is interesting to know how the terminology “bug” was first coined, and used to
describe a state of functioning in which an error, or a flaw in coding can lead to
flawed results, or “outputs” in IT jargon. There are several stories as to how the
terminology came into existence. A theory most subscribed to involves the pioneer
programmer, Grace Hopper, who was a young Naval Reserve officer working on a
Mark II computer at Harvard University. In 1944, she related an incident in which
the computer had malfunctioned – an actual moth had, in fact, “managed” somehow
to get itself embedded between two electrical relays, causing the computer to halt
in its functioning. She explained that the cause of malfunction was a “bug,” which
was later removed by a technician. The famous bug was exhibited by the Navy for
many years, and is now owned by the Smithsonian Institute.
Bugs and software regression
In a broad sense, a software bug can be understood as an error, failure, flaw, or
even a fault in the code designed to develop an application or a computer based
system. Bugs typically create unexpected and incorrect results or outputs, which
cause the functionality of the particular application to stop, or function in a manner
other than so desired. Bugs generally arise owing to reasons such as:

• Mistakes carried out while encoding a program
• Designing improper code structure or logic
• Utilising the functionality of the code in a manner other than that recommended
• Technical errors in the code compilers and/or interpreting resources and agents

Of course, the above are not the only causes which give rise to bugs, however, they
constitute the major reasons why bugs tend to occur in majority of the cases. When
the numbers of bugs increase significantly, the overall functionality of the application
may be compromised upon to a considerable level, rendering it useless and
non-productive. This can cause severe financial loses, and even force businesses
to face litigation from troubled end-users and consumers.
Broadly, the word “regression” means to return to a former, or a lesser developed
state. So, how can regression be understood in terms of “software regression”
pertaining to software development? In practice, developers write down,
or generate code, to develop a particular functionality as requested by the
end-user or the client. During the coding stage, the developer not only develops
the code, but also checks it and ensures that it is working properly. This is a
standard practice followed by most experienced programmers and developers.
However, at times, the testing process may not be carried out properly, or the
code functionality might work properly in most cases, but fail to work under
certain circumstances and situations. A second scenario is the code may be
developed and properly tested at the time of creation, and the application
deployed in a successful manner. However, a newer version of the deployed
functionality may be subsequently re-developed to include even more features
and functionality, to replace the prior one. The reason could be a need
experienced by end-users to use the functionality for a more specific purpose.
The newer version may cause some of the older functionality to stop working.
This, in a rough sense, can be understood as software regression.
For example, you could encode a program to display “Hello World” on the monitor.
It might work perfectly, and display the message each and every time it is executed.
Later on, the same code may be re-developed to accept the user’s name, and display
it in lieu of “World.” The objective of thenew code might be to display
“Hello John” rather than “Hello World.” However, once the newer code is developed
and deployed, it actually ends up displaying the user’s name only – “John” – instead
of the actual greeting “Hello John.” In this case, some of the older functionality associated
with displaying “Hello” in the greeting is curtailed due to some coding reason and
“missed out” by
the newer code. This is software regression.
Knowing a “bit” about what is Agile Scrum framework
Agile is a framework. It offers guidelines as to how software based projects can be
effectively developed
through consistent and sustained delivery of software functionality through short bursts
of development activities known as “sprints.” Agile is based upon certain principles which
suggest how the framework ought to be ideally understood and interpreted by people,
and how the framework should function in an ideal working environment. One of the
Agile principles state “Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early
and continuous delivery of valuable software.” To support this principle, Agile
framework supports an iterative (repetitive) product incremental cycle
(a process through which smaller components or parts of the actual product are individually
developed,and later integrated to form the complete product). At the end of one product
increment cycle (sprint),Agile events known as the “Sprint Review” and “Sprint Retrospective”
are held to ascertain the reliability of the code functionality developed during the sprint,
and whether it satisfies the acceptance criteria so it can be considered as “bug free”
and fully functional. Agile promotes “shippable” product increments i.e. small pieces of
code offering a certain functionality that is complete, perfectly functional, and free
of any “manufacturing” defects.It is worth knowing about the actual Agile process, events,
roles, and artefacts which can help to eliminate bugs, and control the factors causing
regression in software code. People new to Agile concepts and principles may find the 
framework difficult to understand. This article does not aim to educate the reader in 
Agile or Scrum framework. Rather, it aims to explain some of the important Agile 
characteristics which make the framework a very good choice for developing software 
projects. The objective is to describe how Agile can help to reduce regression levels during 
the development process. To understand how Agile can do this, it is important to know a 
“bit” about Agile first.
The product owner “PO” (Role)
He or she is the person who “owns” the project on behalf of the stakeholders or project
owners.
The person represents the interests of the stakeholders in the Agile project, and ensures
that the project delivers a certain business value (importance in terms of market value
and financial implications) at all times while the product is being developed. The individual
is primarily responsible for the success or failure of the project.
The product backlog (Artefact)

It is a master list mentioning all features and functionalists to be developed in the
software project,and to manufacture the software product in totality. Read more at
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The scope of development in the software/IT field

People and individuals associated with software development and the IT field like to use the term “software development” to describe their particular field of work and professional involvement. The term “development” is very widely used to describe a host of activities catering to the IT field. It can range from developing code for applications and systems, to developing mobile applications for mobile operating systems such as Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows OS, etc. (visithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_system), “manufacturing” gaming software using scripting languages like Ruby, AGSScript, Lua, Marathon markup language, Ada, C++, C#, D, Lisp, Mercury, Pascal, Perl, Python, Scheme, JavaScript, Java, VBscript, EDL, etc., (visithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programming_languages) carrying out web development using HTML, CSS, PHP, Joomla, DotNetNuke, Java, etc., and even developing entire operating systems for tablets and PCs  (visithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_operating_systems, to know more about operating systems). The fact is as on today, the terminology “software development” is extensively used to mention almost any type or activity associated with the programming and development of “computerizable” code of any type, in any way, or manner. When a particular methodology or framework is used to develop computerizable code and create software projects, it is important to ascertain whether the scope of development includes the specific activity you’re currently involved or associated with. Software development and projectmanagement frameworks such as Agile have the potential to develop successful IT related projects involving the vast majority of development platforms and operating systems.

What is Agileframework?

While explaining Agile in a simple and straightforward manner, it can be best understood as a collection of project development methodologies and frameworks, of which any framework or methodology can be used in a successful manner to dynamically develop projects of almost any type and nature, including software development projects. The framework is based upon iterative and incremental development, in which self-organised and self-managing development teams understand, plan, and develop projects under the supervision of a project leader, and offer productivity in the form of short bursts of development cycles (iterative development) known as sprints. A unique feature of all Agile frameworks is that the development carried out by the team is “shippable” in nature i.e. the code developed during the product development cycle is independent, testable, verifiable,  documentable, and ready for deployment after it is stringently checked for any “manufacturing” defects.

A second, highly important feature of Agile development is that individuals “owning” the project are closely linked with the approval of development carried out by the team. A particular “code” or “piece” of functionality is checked for regression after it is developed, and subsequently presented to the stakeholders and project owners. They ascertain the development carried out, and clear it as “OK” for future integration into the actual product. This leads to a successful development of software projects, since the management is always aware about what functionality is currently being developed by the team, and up to what extent it satisfies the project objectives. If the project owners feel the productivity offered by the team is not up-to-the-mark, or fails to satisfies them in terms of business value (how much important the code or functionality is from the market point of view, and how much it is worth from the financial point of view) offered by the functionality, they can reject the entire functionality and instruct the project manager to redevelop the particular script or code, based upon a new set of inputs and requirements recommended by them. This ensures that the software project always “maintains” its business value at all times, even while the product is being currently developed.     

A third important feature of Agile framework is that all activities in the project are “time boxed”, and therefore, have to be completed within a predetermined time period. In an Agile project, each activity is time bound. All development related activities are “configured” to suit the unique project needs, and a duration “affixed” to them so they can be completed within a stipulated time. This ensures that the project does not “drag-on” and extend indefinitely. The development costs incurred while the project is being developed can be properly and “profitably” controlled, so that the project does not become “too” expensive and difficult to afford financially.

Agile principles and features

Agile framework differs drastically when compared to traditional linear or Waterfall methodology. In Agile, project development is carried out in short bursts of activities rather than in stages that have to be “completed” one after the other.

The main Agile features include:

• Cross-functional development teams consisting of developers, programmers, testers, QA personnel, technical writers, system analysts, etc. all work together as a single composite team through collaborative efforts, offer and share ideas, and help each other during the development process.
•  Working in short, fast-paced development cycles, with focused objectives – Iterative development.
• Shippable productivity at the end of iterative development cycles – Incremental development. The functionality keeps on “growing” through development cycles until the entire application, system, or product is developed.
• Human communications and involvement takes precedence over management authority and delegation of work.
• Total transparency and visibility of the team progress to project owners, stakeholders, and end users.
•   Feedback and suggestions help to self-correct and offer new ways and means to carry out quicker, more efficient, and reliable development.

An important feature of all Agile frameworks is that the frameworks are independent of the nature of project to be developed i.e. the framework is not dependent upon the platform or environment used to develop the particular software project. The architecture or design can vary, and could be anything. The important aspect is that an Agile framework has to be implemented in the project first, and its benefits availed subsequently. Please visithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development.

What is Agile scrum?

Scrum, briefly, is a “light weight” Agile framework, used extensively for developing and delivering “workable” software products, very often, and on a consistent basis. The software products can range from the development of new web processes and systems, gaming solutions, plugins, mobile apps, ecommerce websites, corporate portals, development of WordPress themes, RAD (Rapid Application Development) projects, OOPs (Object Oriented Programming) projects, CAD/CAM drafting solutions, port programming and configuration utilities, web development and platform interfacing solutions, etc. Scrum adheres to all Agile principles and features discussed above since the framework is “inherited” from Agile itself.

Scrum offers a new, and a better way of managing software projects. There are many technical reasons why Scrum is popular and why many Fortune 500 companies prefer to use the framework for their project development purposes. While being introduced to Agile Scrum, a question that inadvertently comes to one’s mind is why is Scrum so popular? Why is there so much “hype” about Scrum? Does Scrum offer a magic formula, which can work wonders for your project and software development? Why should an organisation that has been following a particular development methodology, and feels comfortable doing so, should change over to Scrum? There is a separate article which deals entirely with why you should opt for Scrum. The point is, this article focus upon explaining Scrum to individuals who are new to the topic, and have absolutely no idea what the framework is all about, and what it can “do” for you. Efforts have been made to explain that Agile Scrum is applicable to almost any kind of software development, and possesses certain features which make the framework very popular as well as “powerful”.    

How does Scrum work?

The actual Scrum process can prove to be difficult to understand, at first, for Scrum beginners. Even though Scrum implementation is not difficult, people need to understand and familiarize themselves about what is product increment, and how it actually occurs during the Scrum process. The second aspect is getting to know about Scrum events. The special meetings, known as “events” are important for monitoring the development activity, and analysing the reliability and effectiveness of the functionality developed by the team. They also help to solicit feedback from the team members as well as the project owners so that the business value of the project is not affected, and maintained at all times – even while the product is being developed. It is worthwhile to get an “overview” of the process first.  

1. Project conception – An idea!

All projects, whether involving software development, or otherwise, start with an “idea”. Projects are developed out of needs. A project is planned to fulfil a particular requirement or achieve a certain objective. Moreover, each project results into “something” within a specific time frame – a project cannot extend indefinitely. It is important here to differentiate between a “project” and a “program”. Programs are generally long termed, and can even last for years, unlike projects which have a relatively short life span and last for a brief period, ranging from a couple of months to even a year.

Typically, a person, or a group of individuals realise it is worthwhile to put in efforts and resources, and develop “something” so that “another thing” can be easily fulfilled or availed. The “something” is the product, and the “another thing” is the solution that the project is supposed to provide. This stage of project development involves a lot of discussion and brain storming sessions, where the product is envisioned and “though over”.

Scrum does not figure during this stage. However, the vision seen by the project owners, can, or may, affect the manner in which Scrum is implemented in theproject, in the future. This is because the nature of product to be developed may require Scrum to be configured in a certain manner to obtain positive results from the project. 

2. Project release – Getting started with the software project

Once the project is “thought about” the next logical step is to work out the nitty-gritty concerning the project dynamics – the objective of the project, the product definition, how the project should ideally deliver the product, in what manner, what should be the “strength” of the team, how many team members, etc.

Scrum development process does not come into the picture even during this stage. The documentation pertaining to the project is created and “everything” concerning the product to be developed is finalised – in black and white. Scrum does not advocate extensive documentation. You do not have to prepare detailed system flow diagrams and extensive design structures to get started with Scrum development. A basic idea will suffice, and you should only spend that much time and efforts which can get you “started” with the actual development activity. Just enough information and specifications to develop some of the most important product features.     

The project release is attended by the “Product Owner” – the person who functions as a project manager in the Scrum project, the Scrum Master who overseas that Scrum is properly implemented and followed by the team while the project is being developed, and the stakeholders or project owners who actually sponsor the project. 

3. Creating the product backlog (Product Features List) – Defining the product features and functionality

The Scrum development process starts with the creation of a master list containing all features and functionality required to create the product in totality. In simple terms, the entire product, currently existing on paper as “imagined” by the stakeholders and project owners, is “broken down” into its constituent parts, consisting of individual features and functionality. The product is thoughtfully, and systematically, broken down such that each individual component can be individually developed, tested, and eventually integrated with other software components or functionality developed by the team over the days. Individually developed features and functionality can eventually “give birth” to a working product when integrated or assembled later on.

Each individual feature or list item is known as a “Product Backlog Item” or a “user story” in simple language. Therefore, the product backlog or the master list is fundamentally composed of product backlog items or user stories. The user story represents a product feature, and is individually developed by the team members during the development process – the daily sprints. Each story can be minutely defined. The description, acceptance criteria (Points which need to be “fulfilled” or satisfied before which the story can be considered as successfully developed), its importance in the project, and the manner in which it is supposed to be integrated into the final product, etc. are mentioned for each user story.

Once the feature list is created, it is arranged depending upon the importance of each user story in the product backlog. Important user stories are arranged in the “top” portion of the list, lesser important stories in the middle, and the least important features and functionality in the bottom portion.    

4. Sprint planning meeting – Planning how to develop the product features

The product backlog functions as the main “backbone” of all development related activities in Scrum. Once it is “developed” by the product owner and the stakeholders, the actual development activity can start. A special meeting known as a “Sprint Planning” meeting is held to initiate the development activity. The meeting is attended by the entire development team, in addition to the product owner “PO” and the scrum master “SM”.

The meeting is held in two parts. In the first part, the product owner selects some of the most important user stories or product features from the top of the product backlog, and transfers them to a temporary list known as a “Sprint Backlog” for development purpose. During the meeting, the product owner takes the opportunity to explain each user story in details to the team members – how user stories should be ideally developed, and what activities the team should carry out so that each story can be marked as successfully completed.

During the second half of the meeting, the development team analyses the sprint backlog and distributes each story to individual team members. In practise, the team members unanimously decide as to who should take up which story depending upon their development skills and experience levels. Simple and easily developable items are given to less experienced or “fresher” while difficult, or more complex stories are taken up for development by more experienced and senior programmers or developers.         

5. The daily sprints – Developing the product features

This is the main area of activity in Scrum. The entire product is developed in “bits” and “pieces” through the daily sprint cycles. A sprint cycle is nothing but a collection of working or “development” days during which the team members actually sit in front of a PC and develop the functionality or product features. The sprint cycle is time boxed and should not extend its deadline.

Each item included in the sprint backlog during the sprint planning meeting should be developed while the sprint is currently underway. A brief meeting known as a “Daily Scrum Meeting” is held for a maximum of 15 minutes each day before the team members start with their work. The purpose of the meeting is to get an idea regarding how much work has been completed by each member the day before, and what each member proposes to do “today”. If a team member is facing any issues or problems, it can be mentioned during the meeting, and the scrum master will ensure that the issue is quickly resolved.   

In Scrum, the daily sprints can typically last from 2 weeks up to a maximum of one month. The duration of the sprint is decided during the second stage – the project release – and it should not be extended under any circumstances – even if any of the user stories in the sprint backlog have not been developed, or whose development is incomplete.  

6. Sprint review – Checking and verifying productivity (Is the development OK?)

Scrum emphasises upon the development of “shippable” functionality at the end of daily sprint cycle. Each user story developed during the daily sprint is checked by the product owner and verified for its reliability, acceptance levels, and whether it is “bug free”. In Scrum, it is very important to deliver error free features – each user storyshould be properly tested for any regression, and whether it satisfies the acceptance criteria linked with its development. 

Just after the daily sprint cycle ends, a meeting is immediately held to review the development carried out by the team. It is important to differentiate between the daily sprints and the sprint cycle. The daily sprint is the development activity carried out by the entire team on one particular working day. Many such “daily sprints” combine to form the “Daily Sprint Cycle”, also known as the “product incremental cycle” in Agile. The meeting is held at the end of the product incremental cycle – the daily sprint cycle. It is primarily attended by the product owner, the scrum master, and the team members. It is not mandatory for the stakeholders to attend this meeting. They can chose to attend it if they so desire.

The main objective of this event, or rather the meeting, is to check whether the features have been developed by the team as per the production plan, and if the functionality has any “manufacturing” defects. Each feature should be fully tested for any flaws by the team before presenting it in this meeting. The product owner verifies if the feature is error free and checks if it satisfies the acceptance criteria linked with it. It is a kind of “final” check carried out before presenting the development to the stakeholders and the project owners in the subsequent sprint retrospective meeting. During the meeting, the product owner instructs the team how it can improve its working and offer even better productivity by employing more efficient programming practices and standards.

7. Sprint retrospective – Finalising product functionality and contemplating about further improvement

Agile Scrum advocates client participation. The client is a very important entity in Scrum, and has the final say as far as the development of product features is concerned. The Agile manifesto primarily stresses upon client participation and delivery of time bound product increments because these two aspects are very important for developing successful projects. A “satisfied” client often “comes back” to develop more projects since successful projects help the client to earn higher profit margins.

The retrospective provides an opportunity for the entire team to demonstrate its productivity in front of the stakeholders and clients. In addition to the product owner, scrum master, the development team, the meeting may also be attended by end users, technical staff personnel, vendors, distributors, and even other employees since the main purpose of the meeting is to avail feedback from individuals and entities closely linked with the market, and who have sound knowledge regarding what product features are likely to “score” in the market once the product is launched, and what can aid the product in “selling”.

The retrospective also offers a chance for the entire team as well as the client to reflect upon the development process, and discover what more could be done to make the product better. Discussions are carried out to ascertain the rate at which user stories are currently being developed by the team, and what new processes or methods need to be introduced to quicken the process.source:- https://quickscrum.blogspot.in/2014/07/is-agile-scrum-suitable-for-software.html

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The primary objective of a sprint planning meeting is to discuss and plan about what the development team intends to build or develop in the upcoming sprint, and how the individual members of the team are prepared to go about with their development activity. Though most experts refer it to as a “single” meeting, it is in fact segregated into two unique parts. The first part concentrates upon what the team is actually asked to build or develop, and is attended by the team members as well as the product owner. The second part of the meeting focuses upon how the team members will proceed with the actual development work. The team members are to mandatorily attend both the parts of the meeting, while the product owner is committed to attending the first part only. He or she can however attend the second part if he or she wishes to do so. 

The first part of the sprint planning meeting

During the initial part of the meeting, the product owner has an opportunity to explain in depth about the set of user stories to be developed during the sprint. It is a rapid-fire type of discussion in which the product owner initially explains the user stories, and subsequently the team members start asking questions regarding the points they are not clear about. The product owner has many responsibilities and roles to play. The person represents the client’s interests, explains how the stories are to be linked up in the future, and keep tabs during the entire development activity carried out by the team members. The objective of the meeting is to provide enough information, or brief the team members regarding the development activity required so that each member can carry out his or her part without any confusions or problems.

The questions typically asked during this stage of the meeting are: 

• What is the acceptance or “passing” criteria of all the stories?
• What kind of data sources need to be used? Where will the data originate from, and where will it go?
• How should the developed component look like once it is fully developed?

The second part of the sprint planning meeting

During the second part of the meeting, the team further analyses the user stories and focuses upon creating the sprint backlogwhich includes the user stories, or the set of requirements and functionality to be developed by the team members during the sprint. The team typically segregates the user stories into individual tasks, and links up, or associates each task with a certain time scale i.e. the duration in which the particular task is to be developed. Generally the tasks are planned to be completed on an hourly basis, however, the time period can be more depending upon the complexity and the levels of functionality to be incorporated into the given task. Another main objective of this part of the meeting is to accept the user stories as practical and “doable”, and to reject those stories which cannot be catered to, owning to various reasons.

The duration of the entire sprint planning meeting can range from two hours up to eight hours depending upon the number of user stories involved, and the levels of complexity. The rule of the thumb is to spend one hour of discussion for each week of sprint.

Source: https://quickscrum.blogspot.in/2014/07/what-is-sprint-planning-and-what-do.html 

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The primary objective of a sprint planning meeting is to discuss and plan about what the development team intends to build or develop in the upcoming sprint, and how the individual members of the team are prepared to go about with their development activity. Though most experts refer it to as a “single” meeting, it is in fact segregated into two unique parts. The first part concentrates upon what the team is actually asked to build or develop, and is attended by the team members as well as the product owner. The second part of the meeting focuses upon how the team members will proceed with the actual development work. The team members are to mandatory attend both the parts of the meeting, while the product owner is committed to attending the first part only. He or she can however attend the second part if he or she wishes to do so.
Read More on https://quickscrum.blogspot.in/2014/07/what-is-sprint-planning-and-what-do.html

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As on today, if you search for Agile, or Agile related information over the internet, you will be greeted with search result pages displaying all sorts of information pertaining to Agile – right from Agile training and coaching to Agile gurus offering their “esteemed” insights and experience relating to various Agile frameworks. More recently, it has become very common to see scaled versions of Agile appearing in the searches – SAFe, Scaled Agile, ScrumButs, AgileLive, Jira Agile, Quickscrum - the list is not big but worthy of being considered – and all of them proclaiming their efficiency in being “effective”, and above all “Agile”. It would be wonderful to know more about these versions, but a basic question always keeps on popping up – Is the client really following Agile in a true sense? Are you a hard-core Agile supporter or a ScrumBut? Maybe, it would be more worthwhile to ascertain whether you, or your client, are in fact following Agile in the first place, let alone other scaled versions of Agile.

Here are a couple of pointers to help you know if you are “Agile” or not.

Is development carried out through iterations?

Needless to say, the main purpose of implementing an Agile framework is to benefit through product increments in a consistent manner. Nobody can claim they’re following Agile if their project development process does not support regular product increments at the end of sprints. In addition to iterative development, Agile implementation should also support dynamic collaboration – sharing of feedback and information amongst the product owner, scrum master, scrum team, and the stakeholders. Iterative development and collaborative nature are Agile trademarks, and it is most essential for organisations to support these features if they claim to be Agile.

Can changes be incorporated during the product development cycle?

One of the main reasons why people opt for Agile is its ability to incorporate changes in the product definition even while the product development process is currently underway. It is a unique selling feature of all Agile frameworks, and is synonymous with developing a project while still maintaining its business value – at all times. Irrespective of the changes taking place in the market – whether big or small – the project development process should have, and retain, its capability to dynamically change the functionality developed, and offered, by the product features as and when necessary. Agile projects should support this feature.

Can development be carried out in “bits and pieces” rather than “as a whole”?

Perhaps what makes Agile frameworks so unique are their iterative structures supporting daily sprints. In scrum or XP, the product development is carried out in the form of daily sprints. Special events are held to plan the sprint (the sprint planningmeeting) and ensure that proper and acceptable product increments are availed at the end of sprints (sprint reviews and retrospectives). The development carried out in “bits and pieces” should result into shippable functionality (successfully developed user stories), and should also be acceptable to the project owners (stakeholders). “Small sized” consistent development, which is bug free, should have the capability to later integrate in a correct functional manner so as to form the “complete” product – an euphemism which conveys “Development in pieces to be later integrated to form the actual product.”

As on today, organisations are not just limited to using traditional versions of Agile frameworks. There are subtle variants, which can be scaled up or down as per the need, and which can be “tailored” to meet the unique project development needs of business concerns. It may not be possible to state or define the exact set of parameters which a project management methodology, or framework, should satisfy to be considered Agile, since Agile is all about “inspecting” and “adapting”. The main essence of Agile lies in its ability to change itself, its working, and mould itself to suit the specific development related needs, as the case may be.

However, it may be certainly possible to “check” for some “trademark” features to ascertain whether Agile exists in a project or not.

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Source:- Does Agile Exist Once You Implement It In Your Project?

This tool for managing projects scrum type, to manage in a simple way the entire project, ie customer, product owner, members, assignments, sprints, priorities, task description, and even even graphs showing progress and evolution .

It’s kind of collaborative, allowing dragging of objects, as is done for example in Trello , app that we use and we are very pleased also.

It can be used in free mode, up to 5 users, 3 projects but without any ability to store files, while offering other alternatives (fee-and not so expensive) that increase performance, of course. Right?

Say to prove it is worth it because it really is very easy and convenient to use.

To access the official site, I leave the link:  https://www.quickscrum.com

If someone was using it, would be nice to tell us what your opinion on this software is because it’s like everything else, as you will be entering information and interacting with the app, you are giving certain situations to solve.

One thing I asked was if the development team can connect to applications like: Test link, Mantis or Redmine, and I responded that for the next release plan to incorporate a bug tracking.

It will be a matter of following your steps and see how this another module that also serves both us us.

Scrum is a specialized type of project development framework. It is very popular owning to its fast and reliable product development cycle. It can be used for developing products, especially software based products, for which it is very extensively used nowadays. Many Fortune 500 companies currently use the scrum development methodology across the world owing to its popularity and effectiveness in delivering high quality products within the stipulated development time. The unique aspect about scrum framework is that it has an ability to “inspect” what is happening “in” and “around” a project in which it is implemented, and it can take corrective actions based upon the findings received as inputs from the process flow. The framework supports several activities known as “events” which can help to identify if anything wrong is happening with the project. When a malfunction or an erroneous activity is detected, the framework can take corrective steps to ensure that the “wrong” thing is corrected and rectified in a correct manner. The scrum framework is so structured that it can “self-detect” and “self-correct” itself through its events and specialized working.   

Typically, scrum is a development process in which teams collaborate and work together while creating the product. In scrum, development occurs in small stages known as “sprints.” Each small burst of development activity, or sprint, generally lasts from two weeks up to one month. At the end of each sprint, a special event known as the “sprint review” is held to find out how much development work has been carried out by the team, and how much of it is acceptable from the quality control point of view. Completed work is consolidated and accepted as “Done.” The unique aspect about scrum is that development is carried out in bits and pieces, rather than “as a whole” and “all together.” Each piece or developmental unit is developed individually and tested for flaws. These pieces are subsequently integrated to form the complete product. Rather than controlling the project as a whole, scrum ventures to control the development of individual pieces or product functionality. The developmental units, or “pieces” are referred to as “user stories” in scrum. Once all the user stories are developed and integrated, a total, comprehensive, and “shippable” product is automatically developed. This product is tested at a micro level with regards its functioning and reliability. This is one of the major reasons why many development companies and organizations prefer to use scrum framework in their production processes.

There are many reasons why people choose scrum for their project development activity.

Reduces technical debt and eliminates regression

At any given instance of time, the team develops a small portion, or a thin slice, of the actual product. This portion is further divided into even smaller developable units that are individually developed by the team members. Once a particular “unit” is completely developed, it is tested for its completeness and usability. It provides an opportunity for the team to test individual product components at a micro level. Tackling problems at a root level leads to zero regression and highly reduced technical debt in the future. This is how scrum controls technical debt related problems before and after product deployment.

Maintain the business value of the project at all times

After a small portion of the product is developed and tested for its reliability, it is demonstrated or showcased to the project owners and stakeholder – people who actually own the project. Their feedback is availed regarding the functionality which has been developed by the scrum team. Once they Okay the development, the portion is accepted as “Done.” If the owners are not satisfied, the development is transferred to a master list from which it can be taken up again for development purposes. Thus, only useful and effective developmental activity is carried out in the framework. The system is so structured that it can reject substandard work. Moreover, each developmental unit can be correlated with its “worth” in the market i.e. when a particular functionality is developed by the team how much it will be worth in the market when integrated in the actual product. This ensures that only meaningful development having a certain financial significance is “churned” out by implementing the scrum framework. Each product unit developed has a certain business value attached to it. This ascertains that the business value of the entire project is maintained at all times.

Collaborative features which can streamline productivity and increase it

One of the biggest advantage of scrum framework is that it solicits feedback from the team members and the project owners at all times. Each user story, or the development unit, is precisely stated in a master list known as a “product backlog.” This master list contains each and every “item,” or a developmental unit needed to develop the product in totality. Each item in the list is minutely defined. The specifications of the functionality to be developed, its description, explanation, and what benchmarks it needs to satisfy to be accepted as “Done” are clearly stated in it. This makes development much easier for the team members since the criteria is clearly laid down and the team knows exactly what functionality to develop, in what manner, and what kind of outputs are expected after developing the product item. The feedback system further helps the team to collaborate and discuss the technical aspects regarding the development activity. This helps to streamline the production process. The team members can help each other during the product development phase. All senior as well as junior team members support the collaborative nature. When the team faces any problems or impediments, a project leader known as a “product owner” tries to provide a solution for the problem – if necessary by interacting with the stakeholders and other technically sound individuals. The collaboration process helps the team to function in a highly productive manner.

Adapting to changing market conditions and developing successful projects

A major advantage with scrum is that if follows the “inspect” and “adapt” principles. The framework possesses inherent features which facilitates inspection and retrospection. The development of a product can take a certain time. If the product definition is complex or complicated, it may take a longer time – even months – to develop the product in totality. Many a times while the product is being developed, the market conditions may change over time and render some of the functionality associated with the product as redundant. As a result, a product when launched in the market after months of development may lose its business value and find it difficult to compete with other similar products, because other products may have gained a “stronghold” and strengthened their position owing to their prior release. Companies more than often suffer substantial financial losses when this happens. Scrum helps to avoid this. The stakeholders are very closely associated with the project during its developmental phase. They have the opportunity to decide which of the product functionalities carry high business values, and which functionalities can help the product to succeed financially in the market. During the product development cycle, the stakeholders can introduce new functionality, remove existing functionality, and even suggest changes in existing functionality so that the entire project is able to maintain its business value at all times – during its inception, development, and the subsequent release. Projects developed using scrum framework are profitable and help to earn higher ROI for the stakeholders.

These are only a couple of reasons why organisations across the world opt for scrum framework. The are many other factors which entice “C” level executives and mega corporate to choose scrum as their development framework, however, it would take a much more detailed discussion and a personal coaching to truly understand the vastness and depth offered by scrum. The framework is so agile that it can adapt to almost every type of project, however large and complicated it may be, and still deliver it successfully and nicely “wrapped up” for its final deployment. It is worth knowing something more about scrum to avail a better picture about how it functions.

The Scrum Process

The scrum process starts with an activity known as a “Release Planning.” When a project is planned, or decided, the stakeholders appoint a person to execute and look after the entire project. The person is known as a “Product Owner.” The person represents the stakeholders and their interest in the project. The product owner (or the “PO” in short) starts planning about what needs to be done to execute the project in a systematic and planned manner. He or she starts preparing the documentation which includes various aspects concerning the project, such as the feasibility aspect, market dynamics, product specifications, etc. The report is presented to the stakeholders, which helps them to decide further as to what they actually need and desire out of the project. The report helps the stakeholders to understand the reality about how the product proposed by them is likely to perform in the market based upon what they have envisioned. This process is generally known as a “release planning.” The PO then proceeds with the project based on their feedback and suggestions. The PO starts preparing a master list known as a “product backlog” in scrum. The list contains individual items, known as “product backlog items” or “user stories,” which are required to develop the entire product. So looking at it conversely, the entire project is bifurcated into smaller individually developable parts known as user stories, which actually form the product backlog. The PO carefully writes down these stories. He or she can also invite and take help from the team members while drafting the stories. The stories include specifications about the functionality to be developed by the team. Once the backlog is created, the PO analyses which of the stories are most important from the functionality point of view, and which of them carry high business values. Important stories are located in the top of the list so they can be developed first. Generally, the product backlog is processed from top to bottom, so important stories can be developed first.

The sprint planning meeting

The actual development activity starts with a scrum event known as “Sprint Planning.” A meeting is conducted to support this event. The sprint planning meeting is actually held in two parts. During the first part of the meeting, the PO takes some of the important user stories from the top of the product backlog and transfers them to a temporary list known as a “Sprint Backlog.” This list is important to the team members since it contains the product items which are to be developed in the subsequent days. During the meeting, the PO explains what needs to be developed, in exactly what manner, and what conditions need to be satisfied to have the user stories accepted as successfully completed. The conditions are known as “Acceptance Criteria.” The team avails an opportunity to ask questions and seek clarifications regarding the subtle development points which are not clear. In the second half of the meeting, the team analyses the sprint backlog which contains items to be developed in the coming days. The members split up the stories into small developable sub-units known as “tasks.” Once the tasks are distributed amongst the team members, the actual development process starts.     

The daily scrum or “stand up” meetings

In scrum, the actual product development is carried out in short bursts of activities known as sprints. A sprint generally lasts for two weeks up to a maximum of one month. The PO and the team collectively decide the actual duration of the sprint keeping in mind various factors such as the level of complexity, size of the projects, the product release date, etc. Once a sprint duration is decided, it is “fixed” and cannot be changed later on. Each day, before the developers start with their day, a brief meeting is held to initiate the daily sprint activity. This meeting is called the “stand up” meeting or the “daily scrum.” The reason why the word “scrum” is used to describe the meeting is that scrum team members huddle together just as rugby players do on the field when they start with their “rugger” scrum. The purpose of holding the meeting is to make the team accountable for the work it has carried out the day before, and discuss what work is to be carried out on that particular day. The daily scrum meetings provide an opportunity for the team to briefly discuss and provide feedback regarding how many tasks have been completed by them. If any team member faces an issue or a problem, it is discussed in the meeting and a solution is availed to resolve the impediment. The meeting is very brief and time boxed. It should not extend for more than 15 minutes. The meeting is held on each day of the sprint to “start the day.”

The sprint review meeting

The development work is carried out by the team in the daily sprints. At the end of two weeks (sprint duration), when the sprint is completed and user stories have been developed by the team, the PO checks the development and verifies whether the stories have been developed properly, and whether the acceptance criteria is satisfied correctly. In scrum, it is very important to develop “shippable” functionality i.e. the tasks developed by the team should be bug free, documented, tested, and acceptable by the stakeholders. Many cross-functional scrum teams employ testers and QC personnel whose sole task is to check whether the user stories developed by the team fulfil the acceptance criteria. If this is not possible, the PO evaluates the tasks and verifies whether they are acceptable. This process is carried out in a scrum event known as the sprint review meeting. It is held just after a sprint is completed. The main purpose of this meeting is to verify the development work, and if some of the tasks do not fulfil the acceptance criteria, they are “rejected” and transferred back to the product backlog from where the user stories can be taken up again for development. Thus, regression is “checked” and controlled through the scrum process.

The sprint retrospective meeting

The scrum process invites feedback from the stakeholders. People who own the project get a chance to check the productivity and provide feedback while the product is being developed. In scrum, the development and productivity of the team is directly and indirectly controlled by the feedback received from the stakeholders, end users, and the technical teams. If productivity is carried out by the team in a proper and acceptable manner, the user stories and tasks developed will have a certain business value attached with the functionality linked with the tasks. A scrum event known as the “sprint retrospective” provides an opportunity for the stakeholders to ascertain the work carried out by the team. The sprint retrospective is held immediately after the sprint review meeting. The main difference between the review and the retrospective is that in the review the PO verifies the tasks and checks for acceptance criteria, while in the retrospective the stakeholders check the user stories and tasks for the business value availed in the ongoing project. While the PO is primarily concerned with the technical aspects and represents the stakeholders’ interests, in the retrospective the stakeholders see for themselves how important the user stories are from the business point of view. The retrospective also offers an opportunity to educate the team and offer valuable suggestions to enhance the project vision and make certain aspects clear to the development team as to what the team should ideally focus upon.     

Scrum Roles

Product Owner

He or she is the main person who executes the scrum project. The person is primarily responsible for the success or failure of the scrum project, and, in addition, represents the stakeholders’ interests while scrum framework is being implemented in the project. There are many responsibilities of the product owner, and it would take a lengthy discussion to explain all of them.

Scrum Master

Just as a supervisor overseas the production process in a manufacturing unit, similarly a scrum master overseas that scrum framework is properly implemented at all times while the project is underway. The scrum master does not actively participates in the development work carried out by the team, but rather “keeps an eye” on how things are going on and whether the team faces any impediments while work is underway. The role of a scrum master is a passive one, but important. The PO generally does not have enough time to oversee the entire project operation since he or she is actively busy with the “macro” aspects concerning the project. The scrum master, on the other hand, concentrates on the “micro” aspects of the project and remains very close to the team, and helps them directly and indirectly by removing the obstacles whenever the team faces them in any way or manner.   

Development Team

It is the main “functional” unit of the scrum team. The product is actually developed by the development team in scrum. Ideally, the development team is cross-functional i.e. each team member possesses multiple and varied technical expertise. The team members collaborate and share ideas while working. 

Scrum Artefacts Or Objects

User Stories or Product Backlog Items

In scrum, the entire product is broken down into smaller, individually developable units known as user stories. User stories, also known as product backlog items or PBIs, are developed by the team during the daily sprints depending upon their importance and business values. They form the base of the entire product. Individual user stories are later integrated to form the complete product. Typically, user stories include a title description, an explanation describing the functionality to be developed in the story, some important points that clarify the development activity, and the acceptance criteria. User stories also include a numeric value which indicates how important the particular story is from the business value point of view. This value is the “story point.”

Product Backlog

It is the master list which includes the product backlog items, or the individual product components, which constitute the actual product developed in the scrum project. Periodically, the product backlog is checked and verified for any missing parameters in the user stories (whether any of the product backlog item is inappropriately described or lacks proper acceptance criteria) and the business value associated with the user stories. With time, the business values of the user stories change with changing market conditions. The stakeholders provide feedback regarding the changes in the business values of the user stories, and the product owner updates the user stories with the new business value as provided by the stakeholders. This process of updating the product backlog is known as “backlog grooming” or “backlog refinement” in scrum.

Sprint Backlog

During the daily sprint, the user stories prevailing in the entire product backlog are not taken up for development. Rather a small “chunk” or portion of the product backlog is taken up for development during the daily sprints. This small portion of the product backlog is temporarily stored in a list known as the sprint backlog. The PO creates the sprint backlog during the sprint planning meeting. 

Burn down Chart

Each user story in scrum is associated with a certain business value by using story points (a numeric value indicating the importance and the business value of the user story). The correlation of the user stories with story points is important in scrum since it becomes possible to find the “rate” at which the development team is “performing.” It becomes easy to create an estimate and determine the “speed” at which the team is currently developing the user stories. This estimation can be plotted in a chart, or a graph, known as a “burn down chart” in scrum. 

The QuickScrum Tool

 The QuickScrum project management tool developed by Bharti Softtech is a powerful, easy to use, and versatile web based scrum tool application centred upon Scrum framework. The tool helps to incorporate scrum methodology into project development, and offers a dynamic scrum management environment. It includes powerful features such as easy to use drag-and-drop features, dynamic update of each product backlog item, its status, breakdown of backlog items into individual tasks, preview of backlog items created in earlier sprints, and much more. It is ideally recommended for organisations, project managers, and scrum teams desiring to implement scrum framework in their projects. The tool helps to save time, reduce operational overheads, and increase the development team’s productivity, which can lead to higher profits and increased ROIs.Source:- https://blog.quickscrum.com/post/2014/06/06/A-Brief-Overview-about-What-Is-Agile-Scrum-Framework-and-How-It-Can-Help-You-in-Developing-Successful-Projects.aspx

QuickScrum guide

Sprint retrospectives are an important part of scrum methodology. For Agile practitioners, retrospectives hold a special significance, and offer an insight into the self-learning capabilities supported by scrum.

The primary objectives of a sprint retrospective meeting are:

• Display the user stories to the stakeholders, which have been developed by the team during the daily sprints  
• Have the user stories accepted by the investors as “shippable”
• Discuss and review the entire sprint, and analyze it to find how the sprinting process can be improved upon
• Find what lessons can be learnt from the sprint, and how the team can benefit from prior findings and experiences

 One of the issues faced by the scrum team is the team members end up discussing the same issues and problems in most of the retrospective meetings. The team feels it is discussing the same topics again-and-again, and therefore it is redundant to hold retrospectives. In all aspects, the retrospectives seem to be going “stale” and the team might be just holding it because scrum advocates it. The learning and self correction process stops in such cases, and the retrospective loses its importance and functionality.

So how can you pump in new life in the retrospectives? A few pointers may help you improve your meetings.

1. Rotating the leadership

Instead of the scrum master facilitating the meeting, invite the team members to temporarily assume the role of a scrum master and conduct the meeting. Each member takes turns and facilitates the meeting in his or her own particular way and manner. The members can be asked to experiment with newer adaptations and ways of holding the meeting.

2. Changing the questions

The two standard questions most commonly asked during the meeting are:

1.     What did we do well this time?

2.     What can be possibly improved upon in the next sprint?

Instead, try asking the question:

• What actually happened during the sprints, and how did it occur?

Individuals tend to look at things from their own perspectives, and at times, they might fail to comprehend the true situation if they are forced to look at issues from a different point of view which they are not familiar with. Asking questions which they find easy to answer can go a long way in making the retrospective more interesting and useful.

3. Varying the process

Each scrum team has its own method of conducting the meeting. While some teams prefer group discussions during the retrospectives, a few of the teams follow the traditional pattern of having one member demonstrate his or her work to the stakeholders. Whichever process you follow, try to change it by including variations into the meeting pattern. A recommended method is to use histograms indicating member satisfaction levels. The survey can be conducted anonymously and the findings presented to the entire team. Suggestions can be availed from the team members as to what new aspects ought to be incorporated to make the meeting interesting. 

4. Thinking about unique perspectives

Individuals and people who are not directly connected with the scrum project, but are still attached to the project somehow can be invited to attend the meeting. Vendors and system deployment personnel have different insights to offer since they are directly connected with the market and have a “working knowledge” about consumer psychology and requirements. Their participation can help the scrum team to avail a broader perspective regarding how the development of user stories should be ideally carried out.

5. Changing the focus

Every team has a certain focal point, which it concentrates upon while developing the project. Switching the focus can also prompt the team to come up with new ideas about how the scrum process can be improved upon. If the team is concentrating too much upon the engineering practices, the focus could be changed to collaborative working and solving technical issues by sharing out the problems.Read more on https://blog.quickscrum.com/post/2014/04/09/Seven-Unique-Ways-To-Breath-In-New-Life-In-Your-Sprint-Retrospectives.aspx

                     “Please visit https://www.quickscrum.com to Free download the Quickscrum tool” 

Scrum framework

Scrum is a unique framework specially designed to build a versatile product.  The framework supports a dynamic design, which allows the features and functionalities linked with the product to be changed, along with the real time changes occurring in the ongoing market conditions. Generally, a scrum project is started when the stakeholders or the investors desire to develop a product for marketing and selling purposes.

Scrum roles

Scrum is basically a team process. There are three important roles in scrum:

•   The Product Owner

Responsible for the work to be done in the scrum project.

•   The Scrum Master

Plays the servant-leader role, ensures that scrum is properly implemented in the project, and acts as a facilitator.

•   The development team members

Undertakes the product development in the form of sprints and actually gives “birth” to the product.

Daily sprints

A sprint is the fundamental unit of developing the product in scrum methodology. Actually, the entire product is developed in short bursts of development activity known as “sprints”. Each sprint generally lasts for two weeks. It can, however, extend up to four weeks if required, but in practice it generally lasts for only two weeks. A fully functional, or a “shippable” product feature or functionality is delivered at the end of each sprint.

Scrum artifacts or objects

Scrum includes three important artifacts which facilitate the scrum process. They are:

•   The Product Backlog

It consists of the  user stories , or the list of features and functionalities which actually define the entire product to be developed.

•   The Sprint Backlog

A certain portion, or a subset of the product backlog, is transferred to the sprint backlog for development purposes during the sprint.

•   The Product Increment

It constitutes the list of features and functionalities which have been developed successfully by the development team, and is ready for “shipping”.Read more on https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/An-Overview-Of-Scrum-Methodology/

              “Please visit https://www.quickscrum.com to download the Quickscrum tool”

Scrum is perhaps the best known Agile method of implementing successful projects. Scrum projects complete on time, and result into higher ROI for the stakeholders. This makes Scrum an ideal, and the most preferred choice while implementing projects, in which the product definition is liable to change with the changing market conditions. The Agile values and principles apply to scrum.   

 Individuals and interactions more important than processes

Scrum, just like other Agile frameworks, relies much upon putting trust in teams and individuals connected with the project. The manner in which the team interacts is important. The team should take a proactive interest in determining what is to be done, and figure out how to achieve the aims and objectives associated with the project. Self correction and self learning is an integral part of scrum methodology, and the team should put in efforts to identify potential issues and problems which can act as impediments and hamper the project. The individuals should also take the responsibility to resolve the issues – they can take the help of the scrum master or the product owner as and when required, since these individuals are usually senior members, and have the required knowledge, as we as the expertise to find a way out and solve the problematic issues. For issues concerning the stakeholders and the investors, the product owner should take a proactive approach in availing the clarifications regarding the acceptance criteria, and guide the team in proceeding with the user stories. In scrum, it is essential that the team feels responsible, and undertake the responsibilities in a proactive manner.

 Working and shippable software takes precedence over documentation and marketing concerns

The main purpose and objective of scrum is to produce shippable products through iterations know as sprints. The entire development of the product occurs in sprints. At the end of each sprint, the product owner verifies the quality of the development carried out by the team, and adjudges the completed user stories, whether they comply with the acceptance criteria. It is imperative that sprints deliver shippable products which fulfill the stakeholder’s vision of a successful marketable product.Read more on https://scrumtool.blog.com/2014/04/04/agile-values-in-scrum-the-important-principles-and-values-of-scrum-explained/

            ”Please visit https://www.quickscrum.com to download the Quickscrum tool”

Scrum may be difficult to understand and follow

Despite the fact that scrum framework helps to provide solutions for the drawbacks prevailing in traditional project management methodologies, in many cases, the company implementing scrum for the first time may face certain issues associated with scrum itself. Scrum methodology is highly adaptable and powerful. It can cater to changing market conditions, and successfully incorporate the changes within the product development cycle, even while the product is currently being developed. There are several advantages, which makes Agile scrum a much desired development methodology. However, implementing scrum in a successful manner can prove to be very challenging for first timers. The impediments faced are generally related to the transition process, as the company starts migrating from its current development methodology to scrum. For majority of people new to scrum, the environment may appear to be complex, rigid, and difficult to understand and follow. This is a misconception since scrum can be almost everything but not rigid in the truest sense. In the initial stage, the team may find it difficult to understand how scrum works, and what kind of roles the product owner and scrum master play while implementing scrum. In addition, there are certain artifacts or objects such as the product backlog and the sprint backlog which figure prominently in scrum. Moreover, scrum events such as the daily sprint meeting, sprint planning meeting, sprint retrospective meeting, and the sprint review meeting may confuse novices why they exist, or are needed in the first place. Scrum can be quite different when compared to traditional waterfall project development methods, and people often start developing a negative attitude towards it simply because they fail to understand it.   

Not getting the desired results out of scrum implementation

A company or a business may decide to implement scrum to reduce the project turnaround time or increase the productivity and the ROI. There is always a reason why an ongoing process flow may be required to be replaced by a new one by the business owners. The management and stakeholders may have “heard” about the obvious benefits of using scrum, and how their business can possibly benefit from them. The management personnel may have high expectations, and might even plan their marketing goals and objective keeping in mind the benefits availed by implementing scrum in their ongoing projects. However, in many cases, due to various reasons scrum implementation may fail to produce the desired results for the particular business, and the entire project may go askew with no clear indication as to in which direction it is heading for. The reasons may be many and varied. It is important to know what they are if scrum is to be implemented successfully.  

•  Improper communication channels and feedback

Broken feedback channels and improper communication processes primarily lead to a void in the learning process which is so very important while implementing scrum. A major issue is the lack of feedback availed during the scrum meetings and important information not being transmitted to the team members in the correct manner, or at the correct time.Read more on https://scrumtool.blog.com/2014/04/03/why-certain-businesses-fail-to-benefit-from-scrum-%E2%80%93-part-1/

                     “Please visit https://www.quickscrum.com to download the Quickscrum tool”

One of the commonest mistakes that people make while considering the product owner’s role in scrum is to consider him or her as either actually owning the product, or functioning as a decision maker while developing the product for the stakeholders. This is far from true, since the product owner is actually employed by the stakeholders to represent their interests while scrum is implemented in a project. A product owner can own a product, but is not necessarily its owner in most cases.

 The core job of the product owner, or rather the main responsibility, is to:

•        Figure out how to “make” the product
•        Ensure that the sprints are successfully completed during the project
•        Shippable products are delivered at the end of sprints
•        Ensure that the scrum project is successfully completed

 The product owner’s job is a difficult one, and a full-time one.

 The product owner as the core determinant of a successfully completed scrum project

It is essential to deliver value, and the scrum method requires an efficient, reliable, and an accurate mechanism, which can help to determine the product vision and create an effective pipeline which has the capability of distilling the product vision into shippable, concrete, and deliverable product backlog items that can successfully demonstrate the tangible benefits as a part of the longer project vision. It is because of this reason that the role of a product owner becomes a very important one while implementing scrum.

 While the product owner can participate in each Scrum ritual, his or her main function, parallel to that of the scrum master, is to act as a facilitator for the entire team, and be available when problems and issues arise in the project. The main tasks of a product owner are:

•        Envisioning the product and facilitating its development
•        Creating an iterative or sprint release strategy which can incorporate the changing market conditions and product requirements
•        Distilling the high-level product related requirements into develop-able and deliverable user stories linked with acceptance criteria
•        Prioritizing the product backlog
•        Communicating difficult and complex system architecture issues to the clients
•        Negotiating all client-sided disputes and concerns associated with the product design, development, and user story priorities

 Responsibilities of a product owner

The person is mainly responsible for:

•        Representing the interests of, and acting as the voice of stakeholders and customers
•        Understanding project profitability and delivering high ROI
•        Managing the stakeholders Read more on https://quickscrum.blogspot.in/2014/04/the-core-role-and-responsibilities-of.html  

                      “Please visit https://www.quickscrum.com to download the Quickscrum tool”

Many types of meetings are held while scrum is implanted in a project. Right from sprint planning meeting to the sprint review and the sprint retrospective, other non-conventional meetings can also be arranged in scrum as and when needed to fulfill specific objectives.  Following certain norms can help to effective and fruitful meetings.

·   Scheduling the meeting

The best way to schedule a meeting is to consider all the information that needs to be conveyed during the meeting, and assign a proper time and duration for it. Do not try to cram in too many topics so that enough time is not allotted for discussing each topic during the meeting. Ideally, the meeting should last for approximately 30 minutes, so work out an agenda that fits into the time schedule. If the topics to be discussed are more, hold a separate meeting to discuss them. This is very important, since the team members need time to absorb the discussion, and remain perceptive to the plan of action decided for each topic in the agenda at the end of the meeting.
The time to hold the meeting should be properly selected too. Choose the time, which is most convenient to all. Ideally, the meeting should be held around 9 AM when everyone is fresh and about to start their day, or if that is not possible, than around 3 PM when everyone has taken the lunch and people are not feeling groggy immediately after having it.

·   Members attending the meeting

Work out the list of attendees who are going to remain present for the meeting. It is mandatory for the product owner and the scrum master to attend the meeting since they play a center role in scrum implementation. Invite only those members who are associated with the topics included in the agenda, and who need to carry out some plan of action based upon the discussions carried out during the meeting. Other members, who are not concerned, or who have no connection with the agenda topics should not be invited so the meeting place is not cluttered up with too many individuals. When the members are less, it becomes possible to have one-to-one discussion, which is more meaningful and effective.

·       Creating and distributing the agenda

Make sure that a proper agenda is created that includes all-important topics. Once the agenda is prepared, send it, or distribute to the concerned individuals well in time so they have enough time to prepare for the meeting.Read more https://scrumtool.blog.com/2014/04/01/norms-for-holding-effective-and-fruitful-scrum-meetings/

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In many ways, scrum is all about meetings. Once the product backlog is created by the product owner, the meetings starts, and keeps on occurring until the entire project is completed. While some of the meetings such as the sprint planning, sprint review, and the sprint retrospective are “planned” meetings, and the scrum guide lays down clear guidelines as to how they should be conducted and what should be availed from them, it may be required to hold special meetings as and when needed to streamline the scrum process. The scrum guide does not mention anything about non-standardized meetings, or those which have been called impromptu. It is important to plan and organize such meetings to make them effective in scrum. 

1.    Meet only if required

First and foremost, if the information can be conveyed through a memo, emails, or a small presentation, don’t conduct the meeting. One of the key management strategies is to identify the nature and requirement of conveying the information to team members. If the nature of information is “simplex” i.e. information needs to be conveyed only “one way”, a lot of time can be saved by just sending a memo. Typically, the scrum master or the product owner may need to brief up the team members regarding the feedback availed from the stakeholders, or just let the team know about the time a particular meeting is scheduled. In such instances, it is not required to hold a special meeting to convey “one way” information since a feedback or further discussion is not expected or required with respect to the message conveyed.

2.    Set up clear objectives for the meeting

If a meeting is supposed to be held, it should have an objective! It is meaningless to conduct meetings where objectives are not clearly explained and the team does not have any idea why the meeting is called for, or what is planned to be done in the meeting.Read more on https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/All-about-How-To-Hold-Conventional-And-Non-Conventional-Scrum-Meetings/

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The scrum development team

The scrum team is the heart of any scrum based project. The development team is directly responsible for manufacturing the functionality linked with the particular project. The development activity is carried out by the team members during the iteration or the sprinting activity, which generally lasts for up to two weeks. It is very important for the team members to “jell” with each other, and collaborate, because it is a prerequisite while implementing scrum. The physical location of the team members plays a very important part while the sprint is carried out. In most cases, the entire development activity, and the sprint too, is carried out in a single location, or the same place – under the same roof. However, with the advent of off-shoring and using scrum for complex and extended product development, it may become necessary for the team members to remain located in different geographical locations owing to various reasons.

Advantages of having a collocated team

For healthy scrum implementation, high level, and frequent communications are essential between the team members as well as the scrum master while the project is underway. It is generally preferred that the team members are collocated. Collocation means all the team members share a common development location, and even similar infrastructure, during the sprint. There are several advantages of being collocated:

•        Questions can get answered quickly and easily
•        Problems can be fixed “on the spot” with minimal wastage of time
•        Less friction is created in the interactions of the team members
•        Trust is availed and rendered much quickly

Means of communications for collocated and distributed teams participating in the sprint

It is important to communicate in an effective manner to improve collaboration. Several types of tools and methods can be used to improve the collaboration amongst team members.

•        Collocated teams

   Teams working in and sharing the same office.

Since the team members are located in the same premises the preferred methods of communications can be:

o   Face-to-face

o   Messaging utilities

o   Internal chat tools

Discussions can also be facilitated using:

o   Meeting rooms

o   Scrum boards

o   Wall displays

o   Shared tables

•        Distributed teams

   Teams placed in different geographic locations.

Some of the tools recommended for communication purposes are:

o   Video conferencing tools and hardware/software

Read more on https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/Means-Of-Communications-For-Collocated-And-Distributed-Teams-While-Implementing-Scrum/

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In scrum, a burn down chart is used to provide a graphical representation of the total work remaining, or left to do, versus time. The pending or outstanding work is generally represented along the vertical X-axis, while the time is plotted against the horizontal Y-axis. A “burn down” chart should ideally be understood as a “run down” chart i.e. how much of total work is still pending and needs to be completed. Even though burn down charts are synonymous with Agile framework and scrum methodologies, they can also be used in other non-Agile frameworks. Basically, burn down charts can be used in any project in which the progress can be measured with respect to time.

Scrum supports several types of burn down charts, and they can be effectively used to measure the progress right from the macro level. At the project level, burn down charts can be effectively used to estimate and depict the progress made. When the project is segregated into its fundamental components at the product level, and when small sets of requirements in the form of user stories taken up for development at the sprint level, the progress can still be measured using burn down charts – even at the micro level.

Product Burn down Chart

The product backlog, created by the product owner at the onset of the scrum project, forms the backbone of all product related requirements in the project. It is the main list which constitutes the product. As the product items, or the user stories, are taken up for development during the sprint, certain stories in the product backlog get marked as “Done” as the sprints keep on progressing. At the end of each sprint, the items successfully developed by the team are accepted as complete by the product owner and flagged accordingly in the product backlog. Therefore, at any given instance of time, the product backlog can consist of complete or pending items. The chart explaining the pending product items and those that have been completed over time is known as the product burn down chart.

Sprint Burn down Chart

During the first half of the sprint planning meeting, the product owner transfers some of the unfinished user stories from the product backlog into the sprint backlog. The stories contained within the sprint backlog are taken up for development by the team members during the daily sprint activity. Each day, as per plan, certain user stories are taken up Read more on https://scrumtool.blog.com/2014/03/27/types-of-burn-down-charts-in-scrum-%E2%80%93-what-and-why-they-are-used-for/

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The scrum methodology

The usage of the word “Scrum” is inspired by a Rugby game technique where individual team members form a group, and collaborate to fulfill a common objective – sprinting with the ball in hand, and covering a certain distance to “achieve” a touchdown. The concept used in scrum methodology is quite similar to the “scrum” used in Rugby. Just as Rugby players huddle together and make efforts to gain the possession of the ball so they can undertake the sprint to achieve a touchdown, in scrum, the individual team members too work in unison, and collaborate to develop a shippable product in short bursts of developmental activity known as “sprints”. Sprints are typically short and target oriented in nature, just as they are in Rugby. Generally, a scrum development team may consist of six to seven members working together under a common roof, or in certain cases, they may be located in different geographic locations. 

 Initially, the main purpose of the scrum framework was to develop and manage software-based projects. However, over the years the pioneers who originally designed the framework put in efforts so the methodology could evolve to suit non-IT or software based projects. However, implementing scrum for non-IT based projects, and the fulfillment of project goals requires specialized training, the same case as in software-based projects. It is very important to understand that scrum is a concept – a methodology – and it needs to be enforced or implemented in a well-planned and organized manner for it to be effective.

 The scrum team is headed by a product owner who represents the stakeholders and their interests while executing the project, and is accompanied by a scrum master who oversees that scrum is properly implanted at all times while the project is underway. The scrum development team carries out the project development in short bursts of iterations known as “sprints”. The development team is typically composed of trained professionals, who have specialized in a variety of IT disciplines. They can be software developers or programmers, software engineers, Q/A specialists, and individuals who have specialized in other branches belonging to the IT segment.

 Advantages of scrum

Scrum framework offers many advantages not found in traditional waterfall development methodologies:

• Responding to the market changes

Perhaps one of the major factors which often affect, and which may also result into an abnormal termination of an ongoing project is the changes occurring in the market while the project development is underway. Quite often, a project may start successfully and proceed as per plan, but a subsequent release of more effective and functional product may render the current object obsolete and useless. This has happened many a times in the IT market, and many IT companies have suffered heavy losses, and even closed down prematurely. With scrum, it becomes easy to incorporate the changes occurring in the market. New changes can be easily introduced in the project life cycle, and existing development can be modified or “upgraded” to become more effectual and meaningful. In all, scrum helps to incorporate the changes occurring in the market related conditions as and when they occur in an easy and effective manner.

•    Increasing the ROI

Generally, when development is undertaken to manufacture a particular product, it is usually found that approximately 60% of the features associated with the product are rarely, or never really used. However, their development is still carried out simply because they “are there” and were planned to be developed when the project was intercepted. A lot of time, efforts, and cost are involved in developing the features and functionality linked with a product. If the functionality is not really useful, the efforts and cost involved in developing the feature is wasted since it may not have a business value attached to it. Scrum makes it possible to identify such features, and curtail their development, which makes it very convenient for the management to save money and human resources. In scrum, the business value associated with the features is easily identifiable, and their development can be regulated in a much better way as compared to other development methodologies. The investment returns are substantially increased if scrum is used.Read more on https://scrumtool.blog.com/2014/03/26/advantages-offered-by-scrum-methodology-%E2%80%93-scrum-benefits-explained-for-scrum-beginners/

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Perhaps the most important aspect of scrum methodology is the concept of “Done” or meeting the acceptance criteria while developing the tasks. The product owner, who represents the interests of the stakeholders, approves and certifies the acceptance criteria defined in individual user stories, or the product backlog items. It is very much important for the user stories to be accepted as “Done” because in scrum an item can only be considered as “shippable” and “complete” when its “Done” criteria is met. The terminology used to describe “Done” is synonymous with the acceptance criteria in scrum methodology. The words describe the same thing.
There are times when the acceptance criterion is not met, and the user stories are not considered as complete. This can be the worst possible scenario as far as conducting the daily sprint is concerned, since the basic objective of the sprint cycle is to meet the acceptance criteria and deliver a shippable product at the end of the iteration. Unaccepted and unfinished user stories reflect unsuccessful sprints and improper implementation of scrum.
It is worth knowing about some scenarios, which can result in a condition when the “Done” criterion is not fulfilled in scrum. 

1.    Lack of a good cross -functional team

By “cross functional” we mean a team, or a group of individuals having different areas of specializations, who work in unison to achieve a common objective or a cause. In scrum, if the product is technically complex, or if the functionality associated with the product is varied and extensive, it is essential to have a cross functional team. When individuals with different areas of specializations work together to develop a solution, it becomes very easy to carry out the development activity, since the technical requirements are catered to by developers who have required levels of expertise and can provide clear and concise solutions for a given task or a problem. Queries are resolved in a more successful manner, and in the least amount of time.
During the sprint, when or if a team member faces a particular problem, it is possible for other cross-functional team members to contribute their knowledge and skills, and provide a proper solution for the problem in hand. This makes the development work easy, fast, precise, and effective. It is very important, and recommended, for scrum teams to be cross-functional. 
Non cross-functional team members may find it exceedingly difficult to find quick solutions when problems arise during the sprint activity. The primary reason why this happens is because they lack the required experience, or do not possess sufficient skill sets to offer effective solutions, which can solve the problem currently impeding further product development. The levels of expertise typically required may include designing, business analysis, development, database designing, testing, and other similar skills. It is essential for the developer to be proficient and very good in his or her work. Failing to have such technically sound team members in the sprint may result in substandard or defective developmental activity. Tasks which are not technically perfect, or which have bugs in them may not be accepted as “Done”. 
2.    Unclear or undefined acceptance criteria in the user stories and tasks

It becomes very hard and almost impossible for the development team to successfully complete the tasks included in the sprint backlog if the meaning of “Done” is not properly explained in the user story, of if the story simply fails to include the acceptance criteria required for its development. Typically, in such cases the team starts working blindly, and often pursues a vision of what the actual “Done” should ideally include in the user story. Rather than the product owner explaining the meaning of “Done”, the team assumes what the “Done” criteria is and starts developing the task based upon their assumptions.
This can prove to be a dangerous habit as far as the project is concerned since the entire team starts pursuing unclear and even undefined objectives which have no relevance whatsoever as far as the project is concerned. The result is a lot of “wastage” suffered by the stakeholders and the management in terms of unproductive working hours and human resources.

3.    Using outdated or obsolete technologies for development purposes

Technology keeps on changing continuously. For the team members, it is essential that they remain in touch with the latest development techniques and trends. As it quite the norm, existing technology tends to “phase out” over time, and is replaced by emergent technologies, which are more powerful, dynamic, and effective.
Using older technologies may lead to incomplete development, simply because phased out technologies do not have the potential to offer the functionality needed to develop a competitive product. Moreover, the team may find it very hard, or impossible, to meet the acceptance criteria, and not be able to develop the task. At times, the definition of “Done” may not be satisfied by using out dated technologies. Using old engineering practices can lead to undue wastage of development time, and even lead to the development of sub standard products. It is very important to use upcoming and newly emerging technologies to deliver quality products.

4.    An overworked development team

The stakeholders and the management are mainly concerned with marketing the product once its development is completed. Their objective is to launch the product as soon as possible, and benefit from the amount they have invested in the project. They often compel the scrum team to take up more work, or even complete the project well before the decided completion date.

This can make the development team to cut corners while completing their sprint tasks. Since the team is forced to work against time, it is going to affect the development and quality of the finished tasks. As enough time is not available to check and verify the acceptance criteria, the team may simply decide to carry out the development and submit their tasks in the sprint review meeting without verifying the acceptance or “Done” criteria. The team fails to perform properly because it is compelled to “deliver more” and it simply lacks the time to check the acceptance criterion.Read more on  https://scrumtool.blog.com/2014/03/25/the-main-reasons-why-work-is-not-%E2%80%9Cdone%E2%80%9D-in-scrum-and-why-the-acceptance-criteria-is-not-met/

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Although scrum advocates that each item be properly estimated before it can be added to the product backlog, in practice, this seldom happens. When the product backlog is initially planned, the product owner understands that some of the stories need to be developed because they are essential and needed to complement the product, or make it shippable. However, quite often, he or she fails to receive proper feedback from the stakeholders regarding their importance, or receives it at a later time. In such circumstances, the common practice is to include the user story in the backlog, and wait for further information to pour in so a priority can be assigned for the particular story. Scrum advice this should not ideally be done, and information should be availed to prioritize the item before it can be taken up for development. 

What is product backlog grooming?

The main objective of the backlog grooming session is to improve the product backlog and rearrange the user stories or the product backlog items in accordance to the new priorities determined by the stakeholders or the team members. Grooming sessions can also be held to verify the product backlog items whether they have the information necessary to develop the user stories in a more efficient manner. The scrum guide does not try to define what a backlog grooming session actually is because the “grooming” activity may vary from project to project. It is difficult to standardize the process so that it can suit all types of projects. The grooming session are generally held to:

·       Write or rewrite the product backlog items or user stories if they are not properly stated or described

·       Reschedule or reprioritize the product backlog items based upon the recent updates provided by the stakeholders

·       Segregate epics or large user stories into smaller and more manageable ones

·       Re-estimate the story points linked with the user stories

·       Update or add new acceptance criteria to the user stories

·       Analyze the product backlog for planning purposes

Different reasons why the product backlog is refined

The product backlog can be rescheduled or refined for a number of reasons depending upon the changes occurring in the market conditions or new features demanded by the end users. At times, it becomes necessary to weed out less important tasks and replace them with effective ones. The product owner may decide to reprioritize the backlog if he or she feels some of the user stories need to be developed on a priority basis. Usually, the product backlog grooming activity or product refinement is carried out because of three main reasons:

1.    Refinement carried out by the stakeholders

As the market conditions keep on changing over time and new competitive products are launched, it becomes necessary for the stakeholders to do away with some of the functionalities in the product which have become obsolete and are no longer needed. It is meaningless to spend time and efforts over features which are not likely to score for the product in the market, and which no longer have a selling value. The investors and stakeholders remain in touch with the ongoing market trends, what the end users require, and how the selling value of the product can be increased by introducing new set of features and functionalities while the product is being developed. The stakeholders may decide to “overhaul” the project by removing some of the features and functionalities, and replace them with new ones, which have added market and selling values.

2.    Informal product backlog grooming

One of the important objectives of carrying out the product grooming activity is that the team members too attend the grooming sessions, and it offers an opportunity for the product owner to explain the user stories to the development team. The product owner takes the opportunity to describe and explain the new set of product backlog items to the team members and answer questions regarding the business values of the user stories. It is a great way of understanding what the product eventually focuses to do when it is launched in the market and how it is supposed to behave when fully developed. Generally, the grooming sessions are succeeded by the sprint planning meetings, and the team is able to prepare in advance for the planning meetings in a more meaningful manner. Since the team members become more familiar with the exact functionality associated with the user stories, it becomes easy for them to segregate the user stories into development tasks during the second half of the sprint planning meeting.

3.    Periodic refinement carried out by the team members

It is important to carry out “routine maintenance work” and keep the product backlog “in shape” so it becomes easy to plan the sprints. As the sprints progress and development is carried out during the sprinting sessions, some of the tasks are completed and new functionality is developed. At time, the functionality developed can be shared with other resources to be developed, and it is important to identify such resources so duplicate or repetitive development activity can be avoided and time can be saved. The grooming session help to weed out the repetitive tasks and get the backlog back into “shape”. It also provides an opportunity to the team members to ask for clarifications and demand explanations for the stories they find it difficult to understand to the product owner.  

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Source:- https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/Reasons-for-Carrying-Out-the-Product-Backlog-Grooming-Activity/

The Product Backlog

In scrum, the product backlog consists of all the user stories, or the set of requirements which are essentially required to manufacture the product in totality. By totality, we mean a product which possesses all the attributes as requested by the end users so that they can use it in an effective and meaningful manner to carry out their tasks or activities. In reality, the user stories are the same as product backlog items. While the product backlog item or the “PBI” is the actual terminology recommended and used by scrum, in simple language it is often referred to as a “user story” by the team members. In practice, the product to be developed is actually owned by the stakeholders or the investors who have put in money into the project. Since their role is to “own” and “decide” about what kinds of features and functionalities should be incorporated into the product, it is not practical for all the stakeholders to carry out the development process by addressing the team members on an individual basis. It is not practical to do so. Therefore, they appoint a person who acts in the capacity of a “product owner” and who represents their interests while the product is being developed and scrum methodology is being implemented in the project. 

At the onset when a scrum project is planned, the product owner first of all clearly understands about the features and functionalities to be provided in the product. Subsequently, he or she breaks up the entire product into its constituent parts, which can be later “assembled” to “remake” the product when all the constituent parts are developed individually. The parts actually form the PBIs in the product backlog. While the product backlog is being constructed or compiled, it is necessary to determine how important the user stories are as far as the final product is concerned. While some of the functionalities associated with a particular user story may be very important, quite a few of them may not be so important from the end user or the market point of view. It becomes necessary to prioritize the user stories depending upon what kinds of functionalities and features they possess. The activity of prioritizing the user stories or the PBIs is done by the product owner.       

Moreover, the product backlog contains the explanation and description of the functionalities linked up with each user story. It is specifically explained in what manner the user stories are to be developed by the development team members during the sprint activity. Many times, the user story can also contain the functional and non-functional aspects needed to understand the requirement in a proper manner. The product backlog is very critical, and forms the “heart” of all scrum related activities. It should be carefully prepared by the product owner.

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Source:- https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/The-Product-Backlog-in-A-Nutshell-For-Scrum-Beginners/

What is understood by the term “servant leader”?

Several experts have tried to define the role of a servant leader, as to what it should ideally include, and what scrum masters should do to be considered as good servant leaders. To summarize what the authors have to say about the role, individuals desiring to function as good servant leaders should be compassionate, exhibit humane characteristics, act as a facilitator, and be a mentor for individual team members. Rather than discussing in details about each characteristic, the role can be briefly understood by going through the Dos and Don’ts associated with the servant leader role.

What the scrum master should ideally do to become a good servant leader

·       Protect the team and its members from distractions and diversions

·       Facilitate the planning activities and sessions

·       Encourage team members to participate in sprint reviews and retrospectives  

·       Implement scrum methodology and coach scrum to team members

·       Help the team to collaborate

·       Publicly represent and protect the team’s position

·       Anticipate issues and problems likely to occur during the sprint activity

·       Discover ways and means to remove the impediments faced by the development team

·       Ensure daily scrum meetings are properly conducted as per scrum principles and rules

·       Support and encourage transparency while implementing the project

·       Properly understand and present the team’s progress to the investors and stakeholders

·       When necessary, arbitrate on behalf of the team members

What should be avoided or prevented

·         Provide instructions directly or indirectly to the development team.

-        The scrum master should act as a facilitator and help the team members to find solutions on their own through guidance, advice, and suggestions.

·       Manage the daily scrum meeting

-        Rather than directing the team and providing development related solutions, the person should supervise scrum and ensure the team members follow it properly.

·       Estimate the work taken up by the team

-        If the team is coming up with an estimate, the scrum master should not interfere by suggesting or advising as to what the estimate should ideally include. If required, the person can arbitrate on behalf of the team.

·       Remain uninvolved or be unconcerned about where the team is heading

-        Always try to maintain a holistic attitude about how the project is proceeding, and how the project can be affected by the work carried out by the development team. One should be clear about the project goals and how the team is currently achieving them.

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Source:- https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/The-Dos-and-Don%E2%80%99ts-of-Servant-Leader-Role-for-Scrum-Masters/

The awareness concerning a particular situation ought to be gained keeping in mind a holistic view to avail a better understanding regarding the ethics and moral values. It is very important for the scrum master to understand and look at situations from a much higher level than the rest of the team to gain a complete picture associated with a particular scenario. The person should ideally think above the role of a developer, and try to act more as a facilitator than anything else. It is important to remain detached with the team, yet remain close to it. The scrum master should maintain a proper balance between the two different parts of the same role. It becomes easy to implement scrum in a systematic manner if you remain detached, since it helps you to observe the workings as a third person. Scrum does not support active participation of the scrum master in leading the team directly by providing instructions to them. At the same time, the servant leader role supports compassion and closeness, which is only possible if you involve yourself on a personal basis with the team member. Therefore, it is important to be aware about both these antithetical requirements of the role, and carry it out by balancing both the aspects.   

What does the term servant leader actually mean?

Many scrum reference books and articles explicitly state and describe the role of the scrum master as a servant leader. While most of the definitions try to state the same meaning, they can often lead to confusion as to which definition is perfect and should be followed. The importance of a definition comes into the picture once its meaning is properly understood. So, rather than concentrating upon the definition, it would make more sense to understand what the concept really means. In a nutshell, the role of being a servant leader would actually refer to maintaining a positive and humane attitude towards the team members, being sensitive towards their difficulties and problems, and putting in efforts to act as a facilitator so that goals can be achieved in a collaborative manner, with each team member contributing towards the fulfillment of the project in a proactive way. It is important for a scrum master to possess certain characteristics to be a successful “servant leader”.

1.    Listening

An individual who is a good listener can also make informed decisions and successfully solve problems. It is important for the scrum master to listen attentively, with an open mind. The person should try to pick up pointers during the daily scrum meetings as to what the team members are really trying to say, and what kinds of problems they are really facing. Some individuals are extroverts and find it easy to speak about their problems in a crowd, and demand solutions from others.  Introvert individuals may find this very difficult to do, and so it would be up to the scrum master to encourage such individuals to open up and be vocal about their problems. Moreover, the person should also try to encourage self-organization and self-learning amongst team members. If the team is facing impediments, it becomes necessary to engage with the issue in a proactive manner and start finding solutions, rather than wait for the team to approach the scrum master with the particular issue. To be a good servant leader, the scrum master should also be a good listener.

2.    Awareness

While leading teams, it becomes imperative to develop a holistic view and look at things from a general point of view, rather than be concerned about the micro level issues when a particular issue or problem arises. It is important to look at problems from a higher level and get an overall picture of where the issue is actually heading to before arriving at a consensus with the team members. It is also required to look beyond the role and scope as a programmer or a developer and grasp the problem at its root level before striving to provide solutions. Scrum methodology advocates that the scrum master should not get directly involved with the development work and start directing the team members. At the same time, the servant leader role indicates that the scrum master should act more as a facilitator and help the team members to resolve their problems by providing guidance and advice, even on an individual basis if required. Therefore, it becomes necessary to strike a correct balance between the two aspects of the role.

3.    Persuasion

Traditional project managers can be autocratic while delegating their authority. Scrum is in antithesis of autocracy – it supports teamwork and collaboration. The team works as a whole and delivers results. Moreover, the scrum guide indicates a specific role for the scrum master. He or she should primarily supervise, and ensure that scrum is properly implemented, and followed by the team members. Rather than issuing commands and orders, the servant leader role encourages persuasion – discuss and talk with the team members, and encourage them to do things rather than demand action and activities from them.

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Source: -https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/How-Can-A-Scrum-Master-Successfully-Carry-Out-The-Servant-Leader-Role-While-Implementing-Scrum-Methodology/ 

3.     Did any team member face any hurdles or impediments during the sprint? If so, what were they?

Overview

The sprint is the main point of activity for any scrum project. During a sprint, the development team delivers a certain portion, or a “slice” of the actual development activity to be carried out as defined in the product backlog. During a sprint, the development activity can include a host of other things in addition to the actual development work. This can include the documentation, user manual creation, testing and debugging functionality, or even checking cross platform compatibility. Each activity during the sprint can be understood as a task. When user stories are transferred to a sprint backlog by the product owner, the development team further segregates each user story into its individual tasks i.e. each story is broken down into smaller tasks to make it more manageable and develop able. Each user story is assigned a story point which determines its potential value. The story points help to generate an estimate as to how many user stories can be included in the sprint backlog based upon the team’s ability to carry out the development.

The entire development is carried out in the form of sprints. Usually, a sprint lasts for two weeks, however, technically they can extend up to three to four weeks depending upon how scum is being implemented by the product owner and the scrum master. Sprints are also known as “iterations” in more simple terms. Sprints are supervised by scrum masters. As per the scrum guide, a scrum master should be a passive participant during the sprint. His or her job is to ensure that the team members properly follow scrum rules when the sprint is underway. At the end of the sprint, user stories are developed into shippable products, each with its own functionality and importance.

 Sprint planning meeting

A sprint planning meeting is held before the sprint commences. It is attended by the product owner, the team members, and the scrum master. During the sprint planning meeting, the product owner transfers some of the user stories from the product backlog into the sprint backlog for development purposes. The meeting is actually held in two parts:

• First half of the meeting

During the first half of the meeting, the product owner explains about the user stories which have been included in the sprint backlog. He or she explains about the acceptance levels and the importance of the user stories to the stakeholders. Team members are free to ask questions to the product owner if they require explanations regarding some of the user stories.

• The second half of the meeting

During second half of the sprint planning meeting, the team members breakdown the user stories in the sprint backlog into smaller, and more manageable tasks, which are taken up for development purposes. Generally, the team members decide unanimously how to distribute the tasks and user stories amongst themselves. Team members take up work as per their skill sets and development expertise.

Sprint retrospectives

A sprint retrospective meeting is held after the sprint is over. The main purpose of the meeting is to evaluate the sprint which has just completed, and what lessons should be learnt from it. A lot of discussion occurs during the meeting, and both the product owner and the scrum master try to envision what could possible go wrong in the future sprints. They contribute their expertise as well as their experience, and try to identify impediments, and seek solutions for potential problems which may occur in the near future.

“Please visit https://www.quickscrum.com to download the Quickscrum tool”

Source:- https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/All-about-Sprints-and-Sprint-Meetings-%E2%80%93-In-a-Nutshell/

At times, projects can be very big. You need a lot of patience while dealing with extremely big projects or highly complex ones. Even experienced project managers tend to get discouraged and start losing hope when the project keeps on extending beyond the deadline, or when things start going wrong with the project. Usually, the management and stakeholders tend to exert undue pressure to the project manager and the development team to perform, and deliver the project, well within the time frame. Projects have a certain financial liability associated with them,   so the sooner the project is completed, the quicker the returns are availed from it. During times when things do not go as per plans, managers start losing hope, and at times wonder if there is a better way of doing things and completing the projects in time so they don’t cost anything extra to the management in terms of increased overheads or reduced returns over investment. This is where scrum comes in – it offers an opportunity to develop your project in a manner such that the stakeholders remain in touch with what is happening to their project, what is proceeding as per plans, and what needs to be removed or done away with so the project can get completed in time and they can start benefiting from the investment they have carried out in the project.

What does scrum methodology offer?

Scrum framework was originally envisioned and developed to be flexible in nature and possess the capability to adapt itself to the changing development requirements. If during the course of the development, if the stakeholders change their minds regarding the project, or desire to change their project related requirements, the situation can be handled in a more beneficial and cost effective way using scrum methodology. Scrum is synonymous with Agile. Scrum, or Agile framework offers an opportunity to make amendments in the project definition while the project is underway. This is a unique feature, since most development methodologies such as the waterfall, which supports a linear structure for development, have no answer or solutions which can effectively cater to changing project requirements. Moreover, a project can be modified to include additional or new functionality when it is underway. If the client decides that a project should offer some features which have not been thought of before, or thought about during the project planning stage, scrum can incorporate these requirements within the development plan. On the other hand, if the project owner feels that some of the features offered by the product may fail to score in the market when the product is launched, those specific features can be easily removed and replace by new ones. Scrum focuses upon development at a micro level. The development activity is implemented and controlled at a very low level, where it is possible to interact with the basic components which constitute to form the project as a whole. It is always much easier to deal with smaller things and change them when they are small in size, rather than wait for them to attain a big size when managing them becomes very complex, and impossible.        

How does scrum work?

It would take a very long time to discuss in depth exactly how scrum operates and what its technicalities are. However, its main features and the method of working can be summarized as:
 

• Unlike traditional waterfall methods, scrum does not start with the entire development activity at a go. Rather it breaks up the entire project into smaller functional parts known as user stories, and creates a product backlog which is a kind of master list which includes everything needed to develop the project in totality. Product backlogs contain user stories.

• Once the product backlog is created by the product owner, a person who represents the interests of the investors or stakeholders, a portion of the backlog is extracted and transferred to a temporary development list known as a sprint backlog. This list contains all the tasks which are to be developed by the team members.

• Once the sprint backlog is created, the team members distribute the list items or user stories amongst the developers based upon their levels of expertise. Thereafter the actual development starts. Development is carried out in short bursts known as “sprints”. Each sprint can last from one week up to a month. 

• At the end of the sprint, a meeting is held to evaluate the outcome of the sprint. Completed items are accepted as “Done” while unfinished ones may be transferred back to the product backlog.

• The entire process keeps on repeating until all the user stories in the backlog are “Done” and there are no further requirements to be developed.   

Source:-  https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/Discover-What-Is-Scrum-Methodology-and-How-It-Works/
 
                   ”Please visit https://www.quickscrum.com to download the Quickscrum tool” 

The daily stand-up scrum meetings play a vital role in ascertaining that the development activity is carried out in a sustained manner. The meetings are usually time boxed to 5–15 minutes and are held standing up to remind people to keep the meeting short and to-the-point. Stand-up scrum meetings also help to find potential pitfalls experienced during ongoing sprints. It is important to know how the daily meetings are carried out, and what they should ideally consist of. On the basis of official scrum guide specified by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, the originators of scrum methodology, the article tries to explain in details about the daily scrum meetings.
 
·  Who should attend the meeting?
Everyone associated with the scrum project should attend the meeting. It is important for the scrum master and the team members to remain present, while the product owner and stakeholders too can remain present if they desire to do so.
 
·  What should be discussed during the meeting?
It is very important to remain focused and only discus about those topics which are directly related and associated with the sprint activity. The attendees should try not to wander off the main topic and discus about other trivia which are not pertaining to the scrum activity. In fact, the guide is specific about discussing topics which are directly connected to the sprint to be carried out during the particular day, even other topics dealing with the project, or project related issues should be avoided during the stand-up meetings. There are special provisions like the sprint retrospective meeting to discuss about such issues.The main topics to be included during the meeting should consist of:
-        What tasks were accomplished during the sprint carried out the day before?
-        Which tasks are to be developed today?
-        Did the particular team member face any problems or impediments during the sprint implementation? If so, what were they?
  
·   In what order should the discussions be carried out?
There is a lot of flexibility while deciding about the order in which the discussions can be carried out during the meeting. Team members can take turns in discussing about what they have achieved, and what they plan to do on the particular day. Alternatively, the scrum master may decide who should speak first and which team member should follow the discussion. A popular method is to take up discussions regarding important tasks first, followed by the order of priority. The order of discussion can vary from project to project, and from need to need. 
 
·  Where and when should the meetings be held?
The stand up meetings should be ideally held at the place of work, and in front of the task board. While they can be conducted almost everywhere, including conference rooms, holding the meetings in the actual place of work can help the team members to remain more focused and target oriented. The meetings should be held before the daily sprint is initiated.
 
·  How to sustain the energy levels during the meetings?
The stand up meetings are also commonly referred to as “huddles” by many people, simply because each team member stands very close to the next one during the meeting. The scene is much similar to the scrum used in rugby. The proximity often encourages the team members to become proactively involved in the discussion. The energy levels start rising up as each team member briefly, and professionally, discusses and outlines his or her activity for that particular day. The meeting is to be held in such a manner that the “atmosphere” becomes charged up with anticipation, and each member focuses upon the goals he or she plans to achieve during the sprint carried out that day.

 
           “Please visit https://www.quickscrum.com to download the Quickscrum tool”

Source:-https://scrumwebtool.weebly.com/1/post/2014/02/what-should-the-perfect-and-ideal-daily-stand-up-scrum-meeting-consist-of-as-per-the-official-scrumguide.html

Scrum and iterative development

Scrum framework actively supports project development in the form of iterations, known popularly as “iterative development” in technical jargon. Scrum supports iterative development in the form of sprints. The feature helps to control the return over investment or the “ROI” in a much better manner, and helps the stakeholders to decide and prioritize the development activity as well as production processes. Scrum is all about incorporating dynamic changes during project development, and promotes the primary goal of delivering maximum business value within a limited or minimum time scale. It is possible to achieve dynamic development processes by properly implementing scrum and controlling the sprint activity in an efficient manner.

Importance of sprint activity, or iterations, in catering to constantly changing project environments

Projects can be complex. They can also be subjected to ongoing market trends and changing user- associated requirements. While developing very big or complex projects, it can be difficult to assign fixed goals or objectives. Development takes time. More than often, the functionalities or facilities linked up with a particular project may become obsolete or redundant over time. This can create problems with the development activity if the organization is following traditional waterfall or linear development methodologies. It becomes very difficult to incorporate the changes in such methods since the entire project has to be initiated right from the beginning – from scratch. This result is a significant loss of working hours and productivity. This is where scrum comes in. Scrum framework supports changes occurring in the project environment in a dynamic manner. It is also possible to consistently evaluate the development related requirements, and make amendments in the project development plan in an instant, without any significant loss of time or resources. Moreover, it is much easier to identify redundancy levels and put a curb on nonproductive developmental activities – simply because the sprint process incorporates dynamic updates within the product backlog as and when required. The product owner can update, remove, and add user stories or requirements in the product backlog, and the same can be taken up for development purposes in the sprint backlog. This is the main essence of scrum, and the primary reason why scrum is so popular as a development methodology.

How can you dynamically incorporate changes into your ongoing project or production plan?

Scrum planning and implementation starts with the creation of the product backlog – the list of requirements needed to develop the project in totality. In a typical project, the end product is segregated into its basic constituent parts called user stories. The product owner represents the interests of the stakeholders, and is therefore responsible for creating the product backlog.

During the implementation process, the product owner determines the priority of the importance of user stories and transfers them to the sprint backlog for development purpose. Team members take up user stories on the basis of their levels of expertise and start developing them during the sprint. After the end of each sprint, user stories are checked for acceptance levels. If they are found to be acceptable i.e. “shippable” they are accepted as “Done”. In case the development remains unfinished, the incomplete user stories still go back to the product backlog, where the product owner reevaluates their importance and priority, and eventually decides whether to send the incomplete stories back to the sprint backlog for further development, or to mark them as redundant and do away with them. This is how scrum helps to check undue wastage of development time and resources, since the requirement is evaluated every time the sprint cycle ends. If the particular development is found to be non-productive, they are simply taken away from the sprint backlog.

On the other hand, if the owners or the stakeholders feel a new functionality or facility might increase the market value of the ongoing project, the new set of requirements can be easily added as user stories in the product backlog, and the product owner can simply include them in the sprint backlog for development purposes.  This is how scrum can dynamically incorporate changes in an ongoing project.

 “Please visit   https://www.quickscrum.com   to download the Quickscrum tool” 

Source:- https://scrummethodology.zohosites.com/blogs/post/The-True-Explanation-of-How-Scrum-Iterations-Or-Sprints-Can-Help-To-Support-And-Incorporate-Dynamic-Changing-Environments/

Origin of scrum

The terminology "Scrum" was initially introduced by Takeuchi and Nonaka in 1986, in a study paper published in the Harvard Business Review. The paper explained that projects should ideally use small, cross functional teams having complete autonomy in whatever they do, and the teams were supposed to deliver a completely finished and shippable product at the end of the development cycle. In case the product cannot be completed at the end of the development cycle, it could be further extended in the form of another “sprint”. Each development cycle is known as a “sprint”, and typically lasts for two weeks to four weeks. This particular development methodology leads to highly reduced turnaround times, and increased productivity. The main advantage of the methodology is that it delivers a completely shippable product at the end of the development cycle, and the development activity takes very little time. This can lead to increased ROI and reduced overheads since redundant requirements or development activities can be curtailed well in time, and replaced by newer and far more important ones in their place. The word “Scrum” is actually derived from the scrum used in rugby football in which the game is restarted again with new or fresh objectives after it undergoes a minor infraction. The game is “reset” to run again with more effective and meaningful objectives after it experiences a setback. That is exactly what happens while using Scrum methodology. Development is carried out in short sprints, at the end of which the results are evaluated, and if required the sprint is extended with the same or newer aims and objectives.know more on https://blog.quickscrum.com/post/2014/01/23/The-Origin-And-Key-Principles-Of-Scrum.aspx

Now a day , Many Agile and Scrum tools available on Internet , Some are Free and some are paid . Some time companies make mistake to Choose Best Free Scrum Tool  for his Company ,so all companies aries one Question in their mind , Which Agile tool is best for our Organization ? and How to select Best Scrum tools for Our organization ?

After Completed job as a pilot in United state air force , Jeff Sutherland joined the faculty of the University of Colorado Medical School and He got his Doctorate degree in University of Colorado Medical  School as Assistance Professor of Radiology , Bio metrics and Preventive Medicine .

Paris, France  10/01/2014

Bharti Consulting Services SARL, France  announces to launch Opensource scrum tool named as QuickScrum.  Quickscrum Provides all funtionalities related to scrum project management.. You will be able to download tool from our website or directly use it online (SaaS) at https://www.quickscrum.com

There are many free and open scrum source tool available at present in market. Most of them are not easy to use, user friendly or not even easy to Implement and supported. Quickscrum provides extremely user friendly drag and drop interface, highly scalable source code, on demand customization, reports,  integration with other tools, online agile training, well documentation and extremely quick support.

It provides features such as backlog management, sprint planning, task board, dashboard which includes project summary, burndown chart, iteration  progress etc and reports.

We have alredy received great response from agile community and hoping to server all of them greatly.Mr. Mrugesh Panchal (Director of Bcssarl) Said “Quickscrum is very useful for those who are searching for free tool as well as it is perfect for multinational or Midsize companies who are looking for dedicated support and customization as well as business intelligence.”

For more details please visit us at  https://www.quickscrum.com  or send us an email at contactus@quickscrum.com, we will get back to you within 24 hours.

About Bharti Consulting Services SARL, France

Bharti Consulting Services SARL,France is an ISO 9001-2008 certified IT services provider having headquater in Paris, France and offshore  development center in India. We provides Business proces management, Custom software development, Web designing, Dedicated resources, Support and Maintenance services either onsite or offshore based on customer needs. We have customer based mainly in all European countries.

 Contact Information

Company name:  Bharti Consulting  Services SARL
Address :              47, Rue Klock, Clichy  - 92110
Telephone:           0033 – 629 30 23 94
Website:                https://www.quickscrum.com

Email:                     contactus@quickscrum.com

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