Scrum - ALL Flashcards
Definition and general overview
Definition of scrum
A framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.
Scrum is: (3)
Lightweight
Simple to understand
Difficult to master
Scrum is not a…
process or a technique for building products.
The Scrum framework consists of (5)
Scrum Teams, their associated roles, events, artifacts, rules.
Scrum is founded on…
empirical process control theory, or empiricism.
Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is known.
What kind of an approach does scrum employ and why?
Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach to optimize predictability and control risk.
Three pillars uphold every implementation of empirical process control:
transparency
inspection
adaptation
Transparency…
Significant aspects of the process must be visible to those responsible for the outcome.
For example:
- A common language referring to the process must be shared by all participants; and,
- Those performing the work and those accepting the work product must share a common definition of “Done”.
Inspection…
Scrum users must frequently inspect Scrum artifacts and progress toward a Sprint Goal to detect undesirable variances.
Their inspection should not be so frequent that inspection gets in the way of the work.
Inspections are most beneficial when diligently performed by skilled inspectors at the point of work.
Scrum values are? (5)
Commitment - (People personally commit to achieving the goals of the Scrum Team.)
Courage - (The Scrum Team members have courage to do the right thing and work on tough problems.)
Focus - (Everyone focuses on the work of the Sprint and the goals of the Scrum Team.)
Openness - (The Scrum Team and its stakeholders agree to be open about all the work and the challenges with performing the work.)
Respect - (Scrum Team members respect each other to be capable, independent people.)
The Scrum Team consists of? (3)
Product Owner
Development Team
Scrum Master
Two most highlighted properties of Scrum Teams are?
Self-organizing - teams choose how best to accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others outside the team.
Cross-functional - teams have all competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others not part of the team.
The team model in Scrum is designed to optimize…
flexibility, creativity, and productivity.
What do icremental deliveries of “Done” products ensure?
They ensure that a potentially useful version of working product is always available.
The Product owner is responsible for? (2)
The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from work of the Development Team.
The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog.
Product Backlog management includes: (5)
- Clearly expressing Product Backlog items;
- Ordering the items in the Product Backlog to best achieve goals and missions;
- Optimizing the value of the work the Development Team performs;
- Ensuring that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, and clear to all, and shows what the Scrum Team will work on next; and,
- Ensuring the Development Team understands items in the Product Backlog to the level needed.
Does Product Owner have to do all the work regarding the Backlog Management by himself?
The Product Owner may have the Development Team do it.
However, the Product Owner remains accountable.
Can more people take together the role of a Product Owner?
The Product Owner is one person, not a committee.
The Product Owner may represent the desires of a committee in the Product Backlog, but those wanting to change a Product Backlog item’s priority must address the Product Owner.
What is important for the Product Owner to succeed?
For the Product Owner to succeed, the entire organization must respect his or her decisions.
The Product Owner’s decisions are visible in the content and ordering of the Product Backlog. No one can force the Development Team to work from a different set of requirements.
The development team consists of?
The Development Team consists of professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable Increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint.
When is a “Done” increment required?
At the Sprint Review.
Who develops and is responsible for the increment?
Members of the Development team.
5 characteristics of the Development Teams:
- Self-organizing - no one (not even the Scrum Master) tells the Development Team how to turn Product Backlog into Increments of potentially releasable functionality;
- Cross-functional, with all the skills as a team necessary to create a product Increment;
- Scrum recognizes no titles for Development Team members, regardless of the work being performed by the person;
- Scrum recognizes no sub-teams in the Development Team, regardless of domains that need to be addressed like testing, architecture, operations, or business analysis; and,
- Individual Development Team members may have specialized skills and areas of focus, but accountability belongs to the Development Team as a whole.
What is the optimal Development Team size?
3 - 9
= small enough to remain nimble and large enough to complete significant work within a Sprint.
The Product Owner and Scrum Master roles are not included in this count unless they are also executing the work of the Sprint Backlog.
What are the issues associated having with fewer than 3 Development Team members?
Fewer than three Development Team members decrease interaction and results in smaller productivity gains.
Smaller Development Teams may encounter skill constraints during the Sprint, causing the Development Team to be unable to deliver a potentially releasable Increment
What are the issues associated having with more than 9 Development Team members?
Having more than nine members requires too much coordination.
Large Development Teams generate too much complexity for an empirical process to be useful.
What is the Scrum Master responsible for?
The Scrum Master is responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide.
Scrum Masters do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values.
The Scrum Master is a servant-leader for the Scrum Team - what does this mean?
The Scrum Master helps those outside the Scrum Team understand which of their interactions with the Scrum Team are helpful and which aren’t.
The Scrum Master helps everyone change these interactions to maximize the value created by the Scrum Team.
As a servant- leader, Scrum Master serves who?
Product Owner
Development Team
Organization
The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner in several ways, including: (7)
- Ensuring that goals, scope, and product domain are understood by everyone on the Scrum Team as well as possible;
- Finding techniques for effective Product Backlog management;
- Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items;
- Understanding product planning in an empirical environment;
- Ensuring the Product Owner knows how to arrange the Product Backlog to maximize value;
- Understanding and practicing agility; and,
- Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed.
The Scrum Master serves the Development Team in several ways, including: (5)
- Coaching the Development Team in self-organization and cross-functionality;
- Helping the Development Team to create high-value products;
- Removing impediments to the Development Team’s progress;
- Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed; and,
- Coaching the Development Team in organizational environments in which Scrum is not yet fully adopted and understood.
The Scrum Master serves the organization in several ways, including: (5)
- Leading and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption;
- Planning Scrum implementations within the organization;
- Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact Scrum and empirical product development;
- Causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team; and,
- Working with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization.
Which Scrum Events are there? (4)
Sprint
Daily Scrum
Sprint Review
Sprint Retrospevtive
All events are time boxed, what does this mean?
All events have a maximum duration determined.
Do all events have a fixed duration?
Sprint jhas a fixed duration and cannot be shortened or lengthened.
The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved, ensuring an appropriate amount of time is spent without allowing waste in the process.
Which event is an opportunity to add or adapt something?
All events.
Failure of including any of the scrum events leads to?
Reduced transparency and a lost opportunity to inspect and adapt.
What is a Sprint?
Sprint is a time-box of one month or less during which a “Done”, useable, and potentially releasable product Increment is created.
When does the next Sprint start?
A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.
Sprints contain and consist of?
- Sprint Planning
- Daily Scrums
- the development work
- the Sprint Review
- Sprint Retrospective.
3 general rules during the Sprint are?
- No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal;
- Quality goals do not decrease; and,
- Scope may be clarified and re-negotiated between the Product Owner and Development Team as more is learned.
Why are Sprints limited to one calendar month?
When a Sprint’s horizon is too long the definition of what is being built may change, complexity may rise, and risk may increase.
Sprints enable predictability by ensuring inspection and adaptation of progress toward a Sprint Goal at least every calendar month.
Sprints also limit risk to one calendar month of cost.
Who can cancel the Sprint?
Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint, although he or she may do so under influence from the stakeholders, the Development Team, or the Scrum Master.
What is a valid reason for Sprint cancellation?
A Sprint would be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete.
This might occur if the company changes direction or if market or technology conditions change. In general, a Sprint should be cancelled if it no longer makes sense given the circumstances.
But, due to the short duration of Sprints, cancellation rarely makes sense.
What needs to be done after a Sprint is cancelled?
When a Sprint is cancelled, any completed and “Done” Product Backlog items are reviewed.
If part of the work is potentially releasable, the Product Owner typically accepts it.
All incomplete Product Backlog Items are re-estimated and put back on the Product Backlog.
Who creates the Sprint Plan?
This plan is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team.
What is the time-box for Sprint Planing?
8 h per one-month-Sprint
For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.
What does the Sprint Planing specify?
- What can be delivered in the Increment resulting from the upcoming Sprint?
- How will the work needed to deliver the Increment be achieved?
Tasks of the Development Team for the Sprint Planing? (Topic 1 - what can be done?)
The Development Team works to forecast the functionality that will be developed during the Sprint.
Tasks of the Product Owner for the Sprint Planing?
Topic 1 - what can be done?
The Product Owner discusses the objective that the Sprint should achieve and the Product Backlog items that, if completed in the Sprint, would achieve the Sprint Goal.
What is the input to the Sprint Planing?
• Product Backlog
• the latest product Increment
• projected capacity of the Development Team during
the Sprint
• past performance of the Development Team.
Who chooses the number of items selected from the Product backlog for the Sprint?
The number of items selected from the Product Backlog for the Sprint is solely up to the Development Team.
Only the Development Team can assess what it can accomplish over the upcoming Sprint.
When is the Sprint Goal crafted?
During Sprint Planning
What is the Sprint Goal?
The Sprint Goal is an objective that will be met within the Sprint through the implementation of the Product Backlog, and it provides guidance to the Development Team on why it is building the Increment.
Sprint Planing (Topic Two: How will the chosen work get done?) - who decides on this?
The Development Team decides how it will build this functionality into a “Done” product Increment during the Sprint.
What is a Sprint Backlog?
The Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint plus the plan for delivering them.
How much work is planned during the Sprint Planing?
Enough work is planned during Sprint Planning for the Development Team to forecast what it believes it can do in the upcoming Sprint.
Work planned for the first days of the Sprint by the Development Team is decomposed by the end of this meeting, often to units of one day or less.
What should be done if the Development Team determines it has too much or too little work?
The Development Team may renegotiate the selected Product Backlog items with the Product Owner.
Time box of a Daily Scrum is?
15 minutes, every day
What is the goal of the Daily Scrum?
The Development Team plans work for the next 24 hours.
This optimizes team collaboration and performance by inspecting the work since the last Daily Scrum and forecasting upcoming Sprint work.
The Daily Scrum is held at the same time and place every day in order to?
Reduce complexity
Example of 3 main questions that should be answered during a Daily Scrum:
- What did I do yesterday that helped the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?
- What will I do today to help the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?
- Do I see any impediment that prevents me or the Development Team from meeting the Sprint Goal?
What is the task of the Scrum Master for the Daily Scrum?
The Scrum Master ensures that the Development Team has the meeting, but the Development Team is responsible for conducting the Daily Scrum.
The Scrum Master teaches the Development Team to keep the Daily Scrum within the 15-minute time-box.
The Daily Scrum is an internal meeting for the Development Team. If others are present, the Scrum Master ensures that they do not disrupt the meeting.
Results of implementation of the Daily Scrums?
- improved communication
- elimination of other meetings
- identification of impediments to development
- highlighting and promoting quick decision-making
- improved Development Team’s level of knowledge.
What is a Sprint Review?
This is an informal meeting, not a status meeting, and the presentation of the Increment is intended to elicit feedback and foster collaboration.
Why is the Sprint Review held?
A Sprint Review is held at the end of the Sprint to inspect the Increment and adapt the Product Backlog if needed.
During the Sprint Review, the Scrum Team and stakeholders collaborate about what was done in the Sprint and on the next things that could be done to optimize value.
What is the time-box for the Sprint Review?
This is at most a four-hour meeting for one-month Sprints. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.
Who are the attendees of the Sprint Review?
Attendees include the Scrum Team and key stakeholders invited by the Product Owner.
Tasks of the Product Owner during (for) the Sprint Review?
- The Product Owner explains what Product Backlog items have been “Done” and what has not been “Done”
- The Product Owner discusses the Product Backlog as it stands. He or she projects likely target and delivery dates based on progress to date (if needed)
Tasks of the Development Team during (for) the Sprint Review?
- The Development Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems it ran into, and how those problems were solved
- The Development Team demonstrates the work that it has “Done” and answers questions about the Increment
Elements of the Sprint Review where all the attendees participate?
- The entire group collaborates on what to do next, so that the Sprint Review provides valuable input to subsequent Sprint Planning;
- Review of how the marketplace or potential use of the product might have changed what is the most valuable thing to do next; and,
- Review of the timeline, budget, potential capabilities, and marketplace for the next anticipated releases of functionality or capability of the product.
What does the Sprint Retrospective provide to the Scrum Team?
The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint.
When does the Sprint Retrospective occur?
The Sprint Retrospective occurs after the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning.
What is the time-box for the Sprint Retrospective?
3 hours for one month Sprint
The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to: (3)
- Inspect how the last Sprint went with regards to people, relationships, process, and tools;
- Identify and order the major items that went well and potential improvements; and,
- Create a plan for implementing improvements to the way the Scrum Team does its work.
What do Scrum Artifacts represent?
Scrum’s artifacts represent work or value to provide transparency and opportunities for inspection and adaptation.
What is the Product Backlog?
The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product.
It is the single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product.
Who is responsible for the Product Backlog?
The Product Owner is responsible for the Product Backlog, including its content, availability, and ordering.
When is the Product Backlog complete?
A Product Backlog is never complete.
- The earliest development of it lays out the initially known and best-understood requirements.
The Product Backlog is dynamic; it constantly changes to identify what the product needs to be appropriate, competitive, and useful.
What is listed in the Product Backlog? (5)
The Product Backlog lists all:
- features
- functions
- requirements
- enhancements
- fixes
that constitute the changes to be made to the product in future releases.
What are the 4 attributes of Product backlog items?
- Description
- Order
- Estimate
- Value
Why is Product Backlog called a living Artifact?
Requirements never stop changing.
- Changes in business requirements, market conditions, or technology may cause changes in the Product Backlog.
If multiple Scrum Teams work on the same product, how many Product Backlogs are there?
One Product Backlog is used to describe the upcoming work on the product.
What is the Product Backlog Refinement?
Product Backlog refinement is the act of adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the Product Backlog.
- This is an ongoing process in which the Product Owner and the Development Team collaborate on the details of Product Backlog items.
Who does the Product Backlog Refinement and how much capacity does it require?
The Scrum Team decides how and when refinement is done.
Refinement usually consumes no more than 10% of the capacity of the Development Team.
When can the Product Backlog items be updated?
At any time - by the Product Owner or at the Product Owner’s discretion.
What is the meaning behind the order of Product Backlog Items?
Higher ordered Product Backlog items are usually clearer and more detailed than lower ordered ones. More precise estimates are made based on the greater clarity and increased detail; the lower the order, the less detail.
Which Product Backlog items are “Ready”
Product Backlog items that can be “Done” by the Development Team within one Sprint are deemed “Ready” for selection in a Sprint Planning.
Who is responsible for the Estimates?
The Development Team is responsible for all estimates.
*The Product Owner may influence the Development Team by helping it understand and select trade-offs, but the people who will perform the work make the final estimate.
Product Owner should track the work remaining how often?
- at least every Sprint Review.
- The Product Owner compares this amount with work remaining at previous Sprint Reviews to assess progress toward completing projected work by the desired time for the goal.
What is the Sprint Backlog?
The Sprint Backlog is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the product Increment and realizing the Sprint Goal.
- The Sprint Backlog is a forecast by the Development Team about what functionality will be in the next Increment and the work needed to deliver that functionality into a “Done” Increment.
What is included from the Sprint Retrospective in the Sprint Backlog?
To ensure continuous improvement, the Sprint Backlog includes at least one high priority process improvement identified in the previous Retrospective meeting.
Who can and how is the Sprint Backlog maintained?
Only the Development Team can change its Sprint Backlog during a Sprint.
As new work is required, the Development Team adds it to the Sprint Backlog.
As work is performed or completed, the estimated remaining work is updated.
When elements of the plan are deemed unnecessary, they are removed.
How is the Sprint Progress monitored?
The Development Team tracks this total work remaining at least for every Daily Scrum to project the likelihood of achieving the Sprint Goal.
What is an Increment?
The Increment is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprints.
An increment is a body of inspectable, done work that supports empiricism at the end of the Sprint.
The increment is a step toward a vision or goal.
- The increment must be in usable condition regardless of whether the Product Owner decides to release it.
What are the consequences of not transparent Artifacts?
- decisions can be flawed
- value may diminish
- risk may increase.
Definition of “Done”?
Scrum team members must have a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete, to ensure transparency.
What does “Done” mean to the Development Team?
“Done” guides the Development Team in knowing how many Product Backlog items it can select during a Sprint Planning.
- The purpose of each Sprint is to deliver Increments of potentially releasable functionality that adhere to the Scrum Team’s current definition of “Done.”
What is expected as the Scrum Team matures?
As Scrum Teams mature, it is expected that their definitions of “Done” will expand to include more stringent criteria for higher quality.
