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Lesson 3Exploring Agile and Scrum Anti-Patterns

1. Exploring the Scrum Master Role in the SAFe Enterprise

2. Applying SAFe Principles: A Scrum Master’s Perspective

3. Exploring Agile and Scrum Anti-Patterns

4. Facilitating Program Execution

5. Improving Flow with Kanban and XP

6. Building High-Performing Teams

7. Improving Program Performance with Inspect and Adapt

SAFe® Course Attending this course gives students access to the SAFe® Advanced Scrum Master exam and related preparation materials.

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Learning objectives

3.1 Explore anti-patterns associated with the Product Owner role

3.2 Learn how Stories and tasks may lead to anti-patterns

3.3 Identify context-specific anti-patterns in your environment

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3.1 Explore anti-patterns associated with the Product Owner role

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Recognizing anti-patterns

As an Agile coach, the Scrum Master must learn to recognize anti-patterns in the process.

4Anti-patterns can be structural or behavioral- Structural example: Team has more than one Product Owner- Behavioral example: Partially completed Stories are being carried over from Iteration

to Iteration

4Anti-patterns can be internal or external- Internal example: Developers don’t work collaboratively on Stories- External example: Lack of coordination with other teams leads to excessive WIP

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Many anti-patterns can be traced to the PO role

Underperforming in the Product Owner role can lead to dysfunction on the team.

Key responsibilities of the Product Owner:4Facilitate Team Backlog refinement4Prepare for and participate in Iteration Planning4Elaborate Stories and Enablers ‘just in time’4Address team questions; be the ‘voice of the customer’4Accept Stories4Participate in the Iteration Review and retrospective4Coordinate with other Product Owners to manage dependencies

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Exercise: Anti-patterns that involve the Product Owner

4Brainstorm dysfunctions that may arise from the interaction between the Product Owner and the rest of the team or from the role itself

4Discuss how you might address such dysfunction

4Write down two or three anti-patterns identified with:- Name- Brief description- Impact- Solution(s)

PREPARE

5min

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2min

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Exercise: Scrum Master anti-patterns

4Watch the following video and try to identify anti-patterns

4Discuss in your group

https://youtu.be/GGbsgs611MM8

min

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3.2 Learn how Stories and tasks may lead to anti-patterns

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Big Stories are a frequent source of anti-patterns

A team that can’t iterate isn’t able to inspect and adapt.

4Big Stories do not support team iteration

4Smaller Stories allow for faster, more reliable implementation

4Splitting bigger Stories into smaller ones is an essential skill

Iteration

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Ways to split a Story

4By business rule variations

4By use case scenario

4Simple/complex

More on Story splitting at: www.scaledagileframework.com/story

As a rider, I want to hear acceleration, braking, skidding, and crashing sounds so that I will feel immersed in the ride experience.

As a rider, I want to hear acceleration sounds when I speed up so that I will feel immersed.

As a rider, I want to hear crashing sounds when I hit an obstacle so that I will feel immersed.

As a rider, I want to hear braking sounds when I brake so that I will feel immersed.

As a rider, I want to hear skidding sounds during skidding so that I will feel immersed.

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As a shopper, I want extra benefits based on how much I buy ...

... bronze level

... silver level

... gold level

Split by business rule variations

Business rule variations often provide a straightforward splitting scheme.

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As a user, I want to enroll in the energy savings program through a retail distributor ...

Use Case/Story #1: (‘Happy path’) Notify utility that consumer has equipment

Use Case/Story #2: Utility provisions equipment and data, notifies consumer

Use Case/Story #3: (Alternate scenario): Handle data validation errors

Split by use case scenarios

If use cases are used to represent complex interaction, the Story can be split via the individual scenarios.

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As a user, I basically want a fixed price, but I also want to be notified of critical peak pricing events...

... respond to the time and the duration of the critical peak pricing event

... respond to emergency events

Split by simple/complex

Simplify! What’s the simplest version that can possibly work?

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Exercise: Splitting Stories

4Select a big Story from your actual backlog that is too big to complete in an Iteration

4Using Post-its and the patterns in the previous slides, split the Story into two to three smaller Stories that could be completed in an Iteration

4Ideally two to three days of work

4Be ready to share your workPREPARE

7min

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3min

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Exercise: A Story that can’t be split?

Your team is insisting that big Stories in the backlog just cannot be split into smaller ones:

4How might you coach the team to reconsider?

4What specific steps would you take to shift their mindset?

4Be ready to discuss

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5min

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2min

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Exercise: Tasking

4Is tasking an anti-pattern?

4Discuss at your table and be ready to present your conclusions

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

User Story

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7min

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3min

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3.3 Identify context-specific anti-patterns in your environment

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PO, backlog, planning, and commitment anti-patterns

PO and backlog

4Product Owner and team reach Iteration Planning without preparation

4There is more than one PO per team

4PO is not sufficiently involved during Iteration execution

Planning

4Planning is based on tasks, not on User Stories and acceptance criteria

Commitment

4Team does not commit to clear Iteration goals

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Execution, demos, and retrospectives anti-patterns

Execution

4Developers don’t work collaboratively on User Stories

4Waterfalling Iterations - Team integrates and tests Stories only at Iteration end

4‘Done isn’t done’; debt is carried forward Iteration to Iteration

Demos

4Team delays demos or extends Iteration

4Story reported but not demonstrated (non-UI Stories, spikes, refactors, etc.)

Retrospectives

4‘Idea fest’ instead of focus on near-term, incremental improvements

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Exercise: Anti-patterns

4Which of the anti-patterns resonate most strongly?

4What other anti-patterns are you aware of?

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5min

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2min

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Exercise: Let’s solve some of these…

4Pair with somebody, and discuss whether there are anti-patterns that could be fully resolved by the Scrum Master

4Pick two to three such anti-patterns, and for each one build a list of action items that would allow the Scrum Master to solve it

4Be ready to present

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5min

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2min

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In this lesson, you:4Considered some typical examples of Agile and Scrum anti-patterns

4Explored anti-patterns in your context

Suggested Scaled Agile Framework reading:• “Product Owner” article • “Stories” article

Other suggested reading:• "Seven Sins of Scrum and other Agile Anti-patterns"

www.infoq.com/news/2016/03/agileindia-7sins-scrum

Lesson summary