EPM Flashcards
What is SCRUM?
It’s a lightweight framework used to create adaptive solutions for complex problems.
It’s uses a Scrum master that has to create an environment where:
- A product owner creates a product backlog with the required features for the product
- The scrum team turns a number of features into a sprint backlog to create an increment of value.
- The scrum team + stakeholders review the sprint/increment and adjust for the next sprint
- Repeat
What are the emipirical SCRUM pillars?
Transparency: he conducted work must be visible for the whole team and the stakeholder, in order to make good decision.
Inspection: Is important to spot undesired variance and or problem which then enables the possibility to adapt.
Adaptation: When a increment/sprint’s outcome begins to deliver undesirable results, it’s important to adapt. Adaption should be conducted as quick as possible to avoid further deviation.
What does a Scrum team consist of?
Scrum teams are small teams consisting of a scrum master, product owner and developers. There are no hierarchy in these teams, which all work focused on the product goal.
Scrum teams are cross functional teams that has the necessary skills to create value in each sprint.
They are also self-managing meaning they decide how does what and when.
Teams should be max 10 people, as smaller teams has shown to be more productive. If the team is bigger it’s beneficial to split the team into smaller teams working on the same backlog.
The teams has all responsibility to achieve the product goal, and therefore also have to manage their own work
What does a scrum team consist of, and what are their respective roles?
Scrum master: Is responsible for the scrum teams effectiveness by making sure that all team members understand the theories from the scrum guide and now how to use them in practice.
He also coach the team to be self managing, to create high value increments, remove impediments, and make sure all the scrum events are conducted and in a good way while also making sure timeboxes are kept.
He serves the product owner by coaching in effective product backlog management, and how to present product backlog items clearly to the teams. Also facilitating stakeholder management if requested.
The scrum master also serves the organization as a whole through leading and training the organization in its adaptation to SCRUM, and also advising on new SCRUM implementations.
He also removes barriers between employees and stakeholders, and make sure that a empirical approach is followed to solve complex problems better.
Product owner: Is responsible for maximizing the output which is done through effective product backlog management. This is done through clearly explaining and make sure all team members understand the product goal and the different items in the product backlog. He also decides what items are going to be in the backlog.
Developers: The people who has to create a increment of value in each sprint. They create a sprint backlog consisting of a fitting number of features. They create a definition of done, and make sure to adapt their plan each day.
What are the five SCRUM events, and what is the main goal of these?
The first event is the sprint, which contains the four other events which is sprint planning, daily sprint meetings, sprint review and retrospective.
The goal for these events is to continuously adapt the work conducted and the SCRUM artifacts to minimize deviations from the product goal. The meetings also makes sure that no other meeting throughout the day are necessary.
The meeting should be conducted the same place and time each day to minimize complexity.
What is a sprint?
A sprint is used to create a increment of value. The sprints can be no longer than a month. The sprint includes the four other events to enable inspection and adaptation. The scope can be negotiated with the product owner if needed.
Various practices exist to monitor the progress, like burn-down, burn-up charts or cumulative flows. But they do not replace the importance of empiricism.
A sprint can be cancelled if the sprint goal is obsolete. Only the product owner can stop a sprint.
What is sprint planning?
The goal here is to plan the upcoming sprint. This meeting can take up to eight hours. The planning consists of three main parts:
- Understand and explain why the items improve the value of the product goal
- Estimate and pick the number of product backlog items into a sprint backlog (can be challenging)
- The developers go through each picked item and makes a plan for the work needed to be done to complete the item. This is often done by creating sub tasks taking a day or less.
What is a daily scrum meeting?
The daily scrum meeting is max. 15 minutes (only for developers), and a used to continuously track progress, spot impediments and react to them, and also to update the sprint backlog when needed.
Then they also create a plan for the upcoming days, which also helps the self management.
Changes to items can only be make at these meetings.
Can use a SCRUM board (To Do - Build - Test - Done) for each item
What is a sprint review?
Is where the scrum teams shows stakeholders their increment of value, and discuss possible adaptations and perhaps also new possibilities that result in a changing product backlog. They then discuss on what to do next.
This meeting should take max 4 hours for 1 month sprint.
What is a sprint retrospective?
Is used to look back on what worked well and what did not, and then how to improve the things that did not work well. This ensures continuously increased effectiveness for the team.
The meeting can take max 3 hours
What are the three different artifacts, and what are their main purpose?
The three artifacts are the product backlog, the sprint backlog, and the increment.
The goal of these artifacts are to increase the transparency as much as possible in order to make the correct adaptations throughout each increment(sprint)
It can be measured as:
Product backlog measured to product goal
Sprint backlog measured to sprint goal
Increment to definition of done
What is a product backlog?
A product backlog is a ordered list of items that can/should be done to improve/create the best possible product. Each item is also sized by the developers to better determine how much work can be done in each sprint. The product owner can help in this process by explaining items and explain trade-offs.
The refinement of the items is done continuously.
The product goal is in the product backlog and is what the scrum teams strive to achieve.
What is a sprint backlog?
The sprint backlog contains the sprint goal (why) the different items needed to be completed (what), and what is needed to be done to complete them (how).
The backlog is updated throughout the sprint as more is learned. If work turns out to be different than expected the developers negotiate with the owner on how to change the sprint goal in the sprint without affecting the product goal.
What is a increment?
A increment is a suppart of the product goal, which works together with all the previous created increments. Multiple increments can be created at each sprint. The increments are discussed at the sprint review but can be send to the stakeholder prior to the meeting. The meeting should never be seen as a gate to release. And very important the increment has to meet the definition of done.
Definition of done is a formal description of requirements each increment must apply with before being released. The definition of done can be made by the organization, or else the scrum team defines the required definition of done.
If a increment doesn’t fulfill the definition of done it cannot be released and has to go back to the product backlog.
What is a WBS?
A work breakdown structure, where the goal or product is separated into several subparts that needs to be completed to finish the product
This is useful for estimating time, cost, resources and risks. To estimate three point estimate can be used.
What is the milestones of a project?
Point of time in your schedule, can be when subparts of a project is completed - celebrate!
What is a baseline?
When the project scope is approved a baseline need to be made, and is a fix point from where the project starts so that any progress can be measured against this. It most often consist of the parts: scope, time and cost which is all measured.
What is project life cycle?
An example is the single phase life cycle, that starts with initiation followed by planning. After the planning executation starts together with a continues monitoring and controlling (using the baseline). When the execution is done the project are closed
What is a gannt chart?
A tool to make a schedule for the required work. It is a very good idea to have a WBS conducted prior as all these subparts can be used in the gannt chart by showing the time the part should start and the expected duration
What is a CCB?
Stands for the change control board. Is a group of stakeholders (representatives) that are designated to make approval/denials for changes. So if changes has to be made to the baseline it has to go through the CCB first.
Who are the stakeholders?
All people that have a interest in the project. Managers, coworkers, people who are going to use the product, sub vendors etc
What is change management?
Is a project manage plan on who does what, when and where related to changes in the project. Is made to control the scope.
