SCRUM Master Flashcards
List the 7 principles and a few goals of DevOps.
source: handout, p. 25
name: Development & Operations
Principles: plan (code) -> create (build) -> verify (test) -> package -> release -> configure -> monitor
Goals: include business people, automation, testable, high quality, blame-free culture
What’s CMM, list and explain the 5 stages.
source: handout, p.26
name: Capabilty Maturity Model Integration
It’s a scale for measuring the maturity of a company
- Initial (awareness they need change)
- Managed (some processes are in place)
- Defined (defined processes are in place)
- Quantitatively managed (they have KPIs to monitor)
- Optimizing (they are taking action)
Explain the acronym ADAPT and list examples of each.
source: handout, p.31
AWARENESS - use metrics to show status quo, start a pilot project
DESIRE - get business sponsorship, focus on and talk about fears
ABILITY - coaching & training, just do it
PROMOTE - pass around success stories
TRANSFER - transfer to other departments and get cross departmental processes in place
Explain ETC, IC and CoP.
source: handout, p.58
Enterprise Transition Community - not more than a dozen people, include C-level to be able to make decisions, use sprints
Improvement Community - uses the improvement backlog, concentrates at the tasks at hand
Community of Practise - something like test/developer/design community to transfer knowledge and motivate
Know and explain the 4 kinds of resisters as well as how to persuade them.
(source: handout, p.42)
DIEHARDS (actively for status quo)
listen to fears, give motivation (salary), make status qho unappealing
SABOTEURS (actively against scrum)
show success, make them committed
FOLLOWERS (passively for status quo)
make them participate, lead by example, change team dynamic (so they follow the right person)
SCEPTICS (passively against scrum)
focus on lead sceptic, give them time, training and get them to exchange with Agilists
25% conservs, 50% pragmatism, 25% originators
List the 5 principles and values of Lean.
source: handout, p. 23
value -> value stream -> flow -> pull -> perfection
maximize customer value while minimizing waste
What is specific about SAFe?
source: agile methodologies, p. 10
name: Scaled Agile Framework
- for whole companies
- WIP limit like KanBan
- lean principles
principles:
- take an economic view.
- Apply system thinking.
- Assume variability, preserve options.
- Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles.
- Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems.
- Visualize and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes and manage queue lengths.
- Apply cadence (timing), synchronize with cross-domain planning.
- Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers
- Decentralize decision making
Configurations:
- Essential (small teams)
- Portfolio (extended)
- Large solution
- Full
What is specific about LeSS?
source: agile methodologies, p. 8
name: large scaled scrum
- for multiple teams
- “barely sufficient” product (more with less)
- relatively lightweight
- customer centric
principles:
- LeSS is Scrum
- transparency
- more with LeSS
- whole product focus
- customer centric
- continuous improvement towards perfection
- lean thinking
- systems thinking
- empirical process control
- queuing theory
List the 6 elements (focus), 7 properties (principles) and 8 colors of Crystal. Name the active ones.
(source: agile methodologies, p. 2/Wikipedia)
elements:
people, interactions, community, skills, talents, communication
properties:
- frequent delivery
- reflective improvement
- osmotic or near communication
- personal safety
- focus
- easy access to expert users
- automated tests & frequent integration
colors:
- Crystal clear (active) for < 6 people
- Crystal yellow (active) for < 20 people
- Crystal orange (active) for < 40 people
- Crystal web orange
- Crystal red (active) for < 80 people
- Crystal maroon (active) for < 200 people
- Crystal diamond
- Crystal sapphire
clear is for lightweight projects up to sapphire for projects with potential risk to human life
List the 5 principles of XP.
source: scrum handbook, p. 82
name: extreme programming
- pair programming
- collective ownership
- continuous integration
- continuous refactoring
- test driven development (TDD)
What is spiking?
source: scrum handbook, p. 86
- type of research or prototyping
- writing code without coding standards –> testing a new idea or technology
- code is deleted afterwards
Explain the bus factor. Do you want the bus factor to be high or low?
(source: scrum handbook, p. 82/Wikipedia)
- measurement of risk
- “The bus factor is the minimum number of team members that have to suddenly disappear from a project before the project stalls due to lack of knowledge or competent personell.”
- -> you want the bus factor to be high
What’s the MoSCoW method? Which framework does is belong to?
source: scrum handbook, p. 91
- from DSDM
- focussing on real needs instead of fancy features
- Must (max. 60%), Should, Could (min. 20%), Won’t
Explain what DSDM is.
source: scrum handbook, p. 89
name: dynamic systems development method
- escalation outside of the team if must have items are not delivered til end of the project (or you can foresee that this will happen)
- MoSCoW method
- supports multiple teams/a larger project
- time, cost and quality are fix, scope is dynamic
- -> deliver on time! (timeboxing)
- only high level upfront plan
Explain what Kanban is.
source: scrum handbook, p. 96
- work should be visualized
- WIP should be limited
- work should be pulled instead of pushed
- to do, doing and done (minimum) as categories
Explain ScrumBan and ScrumBut.
source: scrum handbook, p. 103
- ScrumBan is Scrum and Kanban methods combined
- Scrum without Sprints
- good for maintaining or fixing minor issues that don’t need planning
- no sprint planning (obviously), but the other meetings
- ScrumBut is when you do Scrum BUT you leave out certain parts
- if you follow 95% of scrum rules, you will only get 10% or 20% of benefits
- not recommended
Explain the acronym INVEST and what must be INVEST.
source: scrum handbook, p. 82
the product backlog (upper items at least)
Independent Negotiable Valuable Estimable Small Testable
Explain the acronym DEEP and what must be DEEP.
source: scrum handbook, p. 82
the product backlog
Detailed
Estimated
Emergent (dynamic)
Prioritized
What’s the cone of uncertainty?
source: Agile Estimating and Planning, p. 4
- project schedule estimate
- in the beginning the estimate is between 60% and 160% (of your initial estimation)
- narrows down as the project progresses
What should a planning process do, what’s the goal? (5)
source: Agile Estimating and Planning, Chapter 1
- reduce risk
- reduce uncertainty
- support reliable decision making
- establish trust
- convey information
Why does conventional planning fail? (8)
source: Agile Estimating and Planning, Chapter 2
- planning is by activity rather than feature
- activities don’t finish early
- lateness is passed down the schedule
- activities are not independent
- multitasking causes delays
- features are not developed by priority
- we ignore uncertainty
- estimates become commitments
Explain the layers of the planning onion. (6)
source: Agile Estimating and Planning, p. 28
strategy portfolio product release iteration day
Explain the 3 levels of Agile planning.
source: Agile Estimating and Planning, Chapter 3 summary
release planning
iteration planning
daily planning
What are Story Points?
source: Agile Estimating and Planning, Chapter 4 summary
a relative measure of the size of a story