Agile Project Management with ScrumBy Aditya Raj

Agenda

• What is Scrum?• Cost of change in Scrum• Scrum roles• Scrum activities• Process flow• Project Backlog• Burn down chart• Sprint Backlog• Need to remember• Credits

We will only be discussing basics about Scrum and activities involved.

What is Scrum

• Based on common sense• Less documentation• Release early, release often• Avoid chaos• Better level of communication• Commitment oriented• Agile in nature and practice

Scrum is a simple approach for managing complex projects.

Scrum in practice:

Cost of change in Scrum

Development Life Cycle

Cos

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Scrum is flexible enough to accommodate changes easily to requirements without incurring any additional cost.

• Scrum allows changes at any point• But not in a release cycle• Scrum expects changes would come up

and stays prepared for them

Scrum Development Life Cycle

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Waterfall

Scrum roles

• Product owner– Customer representative

– Prioritizes product requirements

• Team– Develops product

– Responsible for failure or success

– Self managed and organized

• Scrum Master– Teaches and implements Scrum

– Ensures Scrum is practiced properly

– Maintains documentation required

Scrum makes clear distinction between committed members and interested members of a team.

Scrum activities

• Sprint planning meeting– Before every Sprint– Divided in two half for focusing on what to do and how to do

• Sprint– Release cycle of 2 to 4 weeks– No changes accepted while in Sprint

• Daily Scrum– Daily meeting during Sprint for about 15 minutes– Every member answers:

• What they did since last meeting?• What they plan to do till next meeting?• What obstacles are there in their way?

Scrum process is all about clarity, inspection and adaptation.

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Continued…

Scrum activities

• Scrum review meeting– Is done after every Sprint

– To demonstrate that is being done

– And give feedback

• Scrum retrospective meeting– Is done at end of every Sprint after review meeting

– To discuss experiences and problems faced to improve further

– The product owner is not required to attend this meeting

Scrum process is all about clarity, inspection and adaptation.

Process flow

Product BacklogAs prioritized by Product Owner

Backlog tasksdistributedby team

Potentially ShippableProduct Increment

15 mins

Daily ScrumMeeting

Source: Agile Software Development with Scrum by Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle.

Scrum process flow is iterative and incremental in nature.

As it is a light weight process, it results in better performance.

Sprint Backlog 30 days

Sprint

Product backlogIt is an estimate of system requirements in order of priority.

Saying it in a traditional way, it is the project plan.

• Same as Project plan• Monitors entire project• Prioritized to get faster ROI and better results• Prepared and managed by product owner• Requirements can be added at any point• Sweet and simple, easy to manage

Product backlogIs an estimate of system requirements in order of priority.

Saying it in a traditional way, it is the project plan.

Burndown ChartIs an early warning indicator which tells progress of project and individuals very clearly. Quite similar to Gantt charts.

• Helps in predicting problems• Helps in performance appraisals• Works like an overall tracker• Useful for evaluating overall performance

Burndown Chart

No work being done

Is an early warning indicator which tells progress of project and individuals very clearly. Quite similar to Gantt charts.

Days in Sprint

Wo

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e

Burndown Chart

Work being done but not very fast

Is an early warning indicator which tells progress of project and individuals very clearly. Quite similar to Gantt charts.

Days in Sprint

Wo

rk d

on

e

Burndown Chart

Work being done but not very fast

Is an early warning indicator which tells progress of project and individuals very clearly. Quite similar to Gantt charts.

Days in Sprint

Wo

rk d

on

e

Burndown Chart

Individual Burndown chart

Is an early warning indicator which tells progress of project and individuals very clearly. Quite similar to Gantt charts.

Days in Sprint

Wo

rk d

on

e

Sprint backlog

• Product requirement that will be covered in a sprint• A real time picture of work in a sprint• Avoids problems that may delay or fail a release• Doesn’t allow any additions• Can only be modified by team

Just a part of product backlog that can form a deliverable.

Better know as release plan in traditional project management.

Sprint backlogJust a part of product backlog that can form a deliverable.

Better know as release plan in traditional project management.

Need to remember

• Few important facts to always remember about scrum– Is common sense– Is not a solution to every problem– Is an approach towards software development– Is very fast and flexible– Is commitment oriented– Is based on clarity, inspection and adaptation– Implementing scrum takes time (nothing such as big bang)

Yes back to where we started. What is Scrum?

Any questions

• There I can see a bulb on your head. – Go on and ask the question, I don’t have a magic marker

You may also mail me your queries or suggestions at: aditya.internet@gmail.com

Credits

• Special thanks to– Ken Schwaber for writing such a lovely book

Agile project management with Scrum

– Michael Vizdos of www.implementingscrum.com

For allowing to use there cartoons in presentation.

– Hirotaka Takeuchi for

The New New Product Development Game