The basics of agile & Scrum

CollaborateIndividual & part of team

Reduced risk

Deliver in stages

Generate income early

Deliver frequently

Adapt to change

DetachedHeavy documentation

High risk

Big bang releases

Just following a plan

Isolated team members

Delayed benefits

David Lowe Agile & lean coach Scrum & Kanban Ltd

@bigpinots

The Agile Manifesto

Story of how it came about • Individuals & interactions more than processes & tools • Working software more than comprehensive documentation • Customer collaboration more than contract negotiation • Responding to change more than following a plan 12 principles

Agile

Not prescriptive but suggests an approach: • Small cycles of work that allow you to see what effect they have and re-plan your approach • Delivering a working product in stages on regular basis reduces risk

Agile

Iterative

Incremental

Based on http://www.agileproductdesign.com/blog/dont_know_what_i_want.html

Means that teams can produce work incrementally and/or iteratively

ScrumScrum

Scrum • is one of the approaches that follows the Agile Manifesto • is a framework; not full methodology • expects you to adapt it to your needs

Scrum

Scrum • has various roles, ceremonies and suggested approaches

Planning

Planning: what do you want?

As a <who>

I want <what>

So that <why>

• SME • A short, simple description of a feature • Use everyday language • Told from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability • ‘Conditions of Satisfaction’ • Chair for reception example

Planning: what do you want?

• The SME prioritises the user stories in order of value to the business • This is the ‘Product Backlog’

Estimation

Planning: what do you want?Estimation: when do you want it?

} Sprint Backlog

• Teams plan each Sprint by taking the highest priority items from the Product Backlog • The team estimates the ‘size’ of each story and agree how much can be undertaken in the allocated time of the Sprint • Whatever the team agrees to undertake in the Sprint is called the “Sprint Backlog”

Estimation: when do you want it?

• How long would it take to travel from London to • Cambridge? • Leicester? • Bath? • … or Inverness?

Estimation: when do you want it?

• You might be able to estimate: • Cambridge = approx. 2 hours • Leicester = approx. 2.5 hours • Bath = approx. 3 hours • … but how long will it take to get to Inverness?!

• It’s too difficult to estimate with any accuracy • Which is why many teams use story points

Estimation: when do you want it?

• Planning Poker is a popular approach to relative sizing (not the ONLY way though): • Discuss the story so understand what is desired • Each person chooses a size relative to other stories • Must include all work to consider it ‘Done’ (e.g. coding and testing) • Everyone declares together • Discuss until consensus reached • Use points to describe size: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40 • Allows SME to reconsider (deprioritise, descope, continue)

Estimation: when do you want it?

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40

Beans on toast

• I’m hungry!

Estimation: when do you want it?

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40

Sausage, chips & peas

Estimation: when do you want it?

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40

Roast dinner

Estimation: when do you want it?

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40

Omelette

Estimation: when do you want it?

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40

Casserole

Estimation: when do you want it?

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40

‘Proper’ lasagne

Estimation: when do you want it?

• Velocity = guide for future delivery • Average of previous iteration’s story points

Roles

Who is involved?

• Scrum uses a number of specific (and odd sounding) roles: • Product Owner • The Development Team • Scrum Master

Who is involved?

• The PRODUCT OWNER is the SME • It is one person • Owns the Product Backlog • Decides on the priority of the backlog based on knowledge of business value • … so must have knowledge of business AND • … must have position of authority within company • Provides support to the Team and answers any questions relating to requirements

Who is involved?

• THE TEAM is everyone who is involved in creating the product (e.g. developers, testers, UX) • Typically 5-9 people • Agree, as a team, to the work taken on for each Sprint • Satisfy requirements as a team; not as individuals • (Everyone is responsible for quality)

Who is involved?

• Servant leader; not decision-maker • Removes impediments for the team (character type to do this) • Facilitates the meetings • Acts as a process coach & helps the team improve use of agile/Scrum • Leads and coaches the organisation in the adoption of Scrum

Ceremonies

How: daily Scrum

• Approx. 15 mins each day • Each person confirms:

• What I did yesterday • What I will do today • Any impediments that I have

• Don’t talk too much! • Meeting is not for solving issues; discuss specific details afterwards

How: Sprint review

• Allows team to show what they have produced to the PO, stakeholders, and any other interested parties • A chance to see new functionality, ask questions and give feedback • Demonstration; not training session

How: retrospective

• How well did the team work in the last Sprint? • Trying to establish how we can improve as a team (what went well, what didn’t, ideas for improvement) • Not for discussing work done during the sprint or individual performances • Everyone has a voice

Scrum

That’s the basic … want more?

scrumandkanban.co.uk

• Resources on website (incl summary, books, sites) • LADG and other meetups

David Lowe Agile & lean coach Scrum & Kanban Ltd

@bigpinots